Is Metro kinder than BMTC?

But in Namma Metro if such a thing happens, passengers need not pay the minimum fare. Instead Namma Metro charges just Re.1 as fine and allows the passengers to move out of the station.

According to the passengers who are using Namma Metro between Peenya and Sampige Road stations, this practice has been going on for the last few months. According to them, if they alight at the next metro station after the stipulated station in the ticket, customer care representatives charge them just Rs.1 as penalty. But at the same time, in BMTC buses if they travel one station (stage) extra than the ticket they have bought, they have to purchase a ticket of Rs.6!

According to passengers, although compared with BMTC, Namma Metro is incurring more expenditure it is still not exploiting its passengers. "Operational costs of the Namma Metro are much higher than BMTC. Even to maintain a Metrostation, BMRCL is spending several lakh rupees every day. Still it has a meager penalty amount. BMTC has a higher penalty amount," says Mr. Rakesh Gowda, who uses thePeenya-Sampige Road Metro service regularly.

"Generally no one deliberately travels this way, on a lower ticket. So it’s not fair to collect more money in the name of penalty,” he said. But BMTC bus conductors have a different point of view. "Traveling extra is a punishable offence. When lineinspectors encounter such extra travel they impose a fine of Rs.100 on passengers and a Rs.500 fine on conductors. It is equal to ticketless travel. We are helpless. These issues were decided at higher levels of the corporation and we are just following orders,” he explained.

According to senior officials of the BMTC it is an old rulewhich has been adopted by the corporation. "We are not aware of the BMRCL rule. If the public raises the issue, we will definitely look into it," said an officer.