Ticket Scam In Surat City And BRTS Buses: Over ₹22,000 In Fines, Conductors And Drivers Blacklisted

Surat: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has launched a strict crackdown to curb ticket fraud in its City and BRTS buses. On the second day of surprise inspections, SMC officials discovered an entire bus route where the conductor had collected fares from passengers but failed to issue any tickets. As a result, a fine of ₹22,680 was imposed, and the conductor was immediately suspended.

Despite initiating tough enforcement measures, including imposing fines and suspending or blacklisting drivers and conductors, the malpractice continues. Earlier, the Corporation and City Link held a special meeting to address ongoing ticketing fraud. On the first day of checking, 15 passengers were found traveling without tickets, and a fine of ₹1,500 was collected. However, on the very next day, the issue persisted with conductors still pocketing fares without issuing tickets.

Inspections were conducted on several key routes, including, route 104 (Kharwar Nagar to Bhathena Circle), route 254 and routes 105 & 205 (Sosyo Circle to Komal Circle).

During the inspection of Route 205, a bus was found where the conductor had not issued a single ticket despite collecting money from passengers. A penalty was imposed, and the conductor was blacklisted. In Route 105, a discrepancy of ₹2,250 was discovered in the fare collection, resulting in 23 penalties and the conductor being blacklisted.

Another conductor on Route 205 was suspended for not wearing a uniform and failing to carry an ID card. One more conductor, caught recording video during the inspection at Komal Circle, was also suspended immediately. On the same route, ₹3,300 was found in excess with another conductor, who is now also facing blacklisting.

On Route 104, a conductor was suspended for working without a uniform or ID card, while the bus driver was fined for operating with the door open. On Route 254, a conductor failed to wear a uniform, had no ID card, and did not issue tickets, resulting in a one-month suspension.

In total, penalties worth ₹22,680 were collected in a single day, with multiple conductors either suspended or blacklisted due to serious violations of ticketing rules. The Corporation has stated that this aggressive campaign will continue to ensure transparency and accountability in public transport services across Surat.

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