'Extremely Unsafe, Humiliating': BMTC Passenger Says Conductor Forced Her To Deboard On Highway Over UPI Payment

A Bengaluru passenger has publicly criticised the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), alleging that a conductor forced them to get off a moving bus on a highway after a dispute over ticket payment. The passenger claimed the incident unfolded because the conductor's ticketing machine malfunctioned, leaving them unable to complete the payment through UPI.

The passenger said they boarded BMTC bus KA 57 F 6018 around 7:50 am from Hegondanahalli to Varthur Kodi, where the fare was Rs 18.

"Today at around 7:50 AM, I boarded BMTC bus KA 57 F 6018 from Hegondanahalli to Varthur Kodi. The fare was Rs 18. I asked for a ticket and was ready to pay through UPI, but the conductor's ticketing machine wasn't working," the passenger wrote.

According to the post, the conductor made several attempts to process the digital payment before asking the commuter to pay in cash instead. However, the passenger only had Rs 100 and Rs 500 notes, while the conductor reportedly did not have enough change.

"I requested him to wait for a minute or two until the machine started working so I could complete the payment and receive the ticket. He then asked me to pay in cash. I only had Rs 100 and Rs 500 notes, and he said he didn't have change."

Instead of resolving the issue, the conductor allegedly became hostile, shouted at them, halted the bus on the highway and ordered them to deboard. Calling the experience both unsafe and degrading, the commuter argued that passengers should not suffer due to technical failures within the transport system.

“I explained that neither the faulty ticketing machine nor the lack of change was my responsibility. Instead of finding a solution, he became aggressive, shouted at me, stopped the bus, and forced me to get down in the middle of a highway. I found this extremely unsafe and humiliating. No passenger should be treated this way for an issue caused by BMTC's ticketing system.”