Bus conductor pays ticket cost for passenger

CHENNAI: There are conductors of government buses who’d yell at passengers who did not carry sufficient change to buy tickets. And there’s a conductor who paid the ticket cost from his own pocket to retain a passenger.

When this reporter travelled from Vellore to Chennai in an AC bus, he noticed the bus conductor giving his Gpay number to a fellow passenger. When he asked the conductor for a reason, his reply was a pleasant surprise.

Turns out that the bus was stationed outside the bus stand and a fellow passenger could not fetch money from ATM. When the passenger informed him that he couldn’t take money from the ATM, the bus conductor informed him that he’ll pay the ticket cost from his pocket, and asked the passenger to reimburse him via Gpay at his convenience.

Conductors using technology to retain passengers and being polite to passengers is a welcome step towards changing the perception of the public towards government buses. The conductor also amused passengers with his communication skills and was actively engaging throughout the 3-and-a-half hour journey.

Hope that the State also adopts some instant digital mode of payment so that the ticket purchase is easier for the nextgen passengers.