Private operators feel the heat

Private operators feel the heat


Ashwini M Sripad | ENS
04 Oct 2008 09:32:00 AM IST

BANGALORE: KSRTC has warned people travelling out of the City, with the festival season round the corner, not to fall prey to the tactics adopted by touts to lure them to travel in private buses. Travellers without reserved bus tickets must beware of such touts, KSRTC has said.

As there are many private transport operators around KSRTC bus station in Majestic area, an increasing number of cases are being registered against touts luring KSRTC passengers there. According to KSRTC Divisional Controller Prakash Babu, more than 100 private transport operators are working in and around Majestic area.

“Touts working for these private operators enter Kempegowda Bus Station (KBS) premises and try to lure the travellers. They also charge exorbitantly, but provide poor quality buses. In many cases, they collect money and escape without giving tickets. Many touts charge double the ticket fare,” he said.

At any given time, one can find eight to ten touts in and around KBS. The number increases during long weekends and vacations like Dasara and summer.

The KSRTC, in association with the police, has registered 623 cases against these touts since April 2007. Of this, 315 cases have been registered this year up to September. But Prakash regretted that their efforts are going waste as the employers of these touts get them released on bail, soon after they are handed over to police. Prakash said that installation of close circuit TVs at various places in the bus stand has helped authorities nab the touts. “Through CCTVs, we can watch the movement of touts and many a time we have caught them,” he told The Express.

When contacted, Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said that if KSRTC lodges complaints against touts working for private operators, the Transport Department will take action against them.