Dec 31, 2009 09:26 PM
9275 Views
(Updated Jan 01, 2010 01:26 PM)
I had been a regular customer of KSRTC Volvo Airavat service between Goa and Bangalore for past few years. I had been a regular with Paulo travels for almost 2 years before switching over to kSRTC since they introduced the volvo service. Initially their service was the best on Goa - Bangalore route when it started. Off late they have fallen to very low levels. I would like to highlight few incidents which I have faced myself recently.
On one of the journey I booked a ticket using online login which only a person with a valid user name and password can book. At the time of booking I did not remember the driving licence number. Since I needed to book the ticket urgently, I put the number as 12345 and booked the ticket. After boarding the bus the conductor asked for photo ID proof and since I had mentioned driving license I showed the same to him. He was not willing to accept it as the number was not matching. I said I could produce 4 different proofs in the form of PAN card, company ID card, passport and voting card other than the driving license to prove my identity. he was not willing to listen and was telling me to get down from the bus. I did not budge down and told him since I have made the payment from my pocket I'll not get down from the bus. After speaking to me in local language for 5-10 mins and realizing that I'll not fall pray to his false tactics he allowed me to continue the journey by giving a warning saying next time you should enter the corrrect driving license number. I wish these people followed the process used in railways where we can submit any of the valid ID proofs.
Few weeks back I booked tickets for my relatives who had visited me during holidays. There were 4 passangers. My mother, aunty, younger brother and my brother in law. While booking the ticket I booked my brothers ticket who is 17 years of age as child assuming that 18 years onwards is adult. Nowhere in the website they have given the age limit and no validation is done at the time of booking. All the things were fine until everyone was seated in the bus. Only after reaching malleshwaram conductor started checking the tickets again and told the passangers that my brother should have been booked with adult ticket since he is above 12 years of age.
No where it is mentioned that children above 12 years of age should be charged full ticket. I would expect this to be displayed very cleary while booking the tickets online. If not atleast on the printed ticket it should have been there. Its unfortunate that it is not mentioned in either of these places. This gives a great opportunity for conductors to harras customers during the journey. They do not check these details while boarding the bus. But will come and start asking the money after the bus has left from the starting point.
My aunty and mother were willing to pay the difference in the fees but the conductor did not accept. The adult ticket was something around 800 rupees and child was around 515 rupees. He charged them again for 611 rupees which was neither the child fare nor the adult fare. I am sure those 611 rupees would have gone into that buggers pocket. He was saying that they cannot issue an ticket with the difference in adult and child fare as the machine that they carry won't support that. if they can punch in any number on that device I am sure they can do so if they wish to. But these people have got used to cheating customers in big time and hence he did not do it purposely.
I have also observed at the panaji bus stop that the KSRTC officials don't issue tickets for Airavat(volco) service. they redirect the people to maitreya travels to get commission. These are supposed to be authorized partners of KSRTC. But they charge amounts which are way above the normal rates and issue hand written tickets. At the time of boarding the bus conductor issues the actual ticket. This is a clear case of cheating. I wish I had the time to teach these guys a lesson. I have booked tickets at various KSRTC authorized counters in Bangalore before the online booking was introduced. They used to charge a nominal fee and issue a ticket which was used for boarding the bus. The so called authorized dealer of KSRTC in Goa, Maithreya travels does not follow these basic rules.And I am sure KSRTC officials are involved in this scam as far as Goa is concerned.
If KSRTC officials continue to misbeahve and ill treat customers in this way, it won't be far that they will face the same concequences as Paulo travels, I hope people will be careful while travelling with KSRTC specially in Volvos as I have heard many instance and have personally faced it myself where drivers and conductors misbehave with passangers.
As far as possible stay away from KSRTC on Bangalore - Goa route. the funniest part is the guy who sits at the KSRTC counter in Goa. He books a ticket for other bus services like Goa-Belgaum using his computer. And only for Goa-Bangalore route he cannot book a Airavat ticket. I don't know how can they try and fool people who know how computers work and how an online booking system works. These guys get commission from Maitreya travels and hence they redirect the customers to them.
Hopefully someday'll get time and concrete proof to take these crooks to consmer court and make them pay heavily for all this inconvinience they cause to the regular customers. Based on my experience so far I would suggest people to be very very concious while travelling with KSRTC.
