Bits & Bytes

Last friday, while coming back from office late night I got in the volvo 335 series bus. I had to get down at Marthahalli bridge to get some groceries. The conductor charged Rs 20 for the ticket. Usually, its Rs 15. I thought, ok.. the fare has gone up. It was not until one of the guys complained to the conductor that the fare is high that I noticed. He said he is a regular from this stop and this ticket is priced higher. The conductor replied that No, this is the rate. I took out my ticket and checked. The volvo buses give the printed tickets from their little machines. Just punch in the source and destination and it prints the proper ticket. Its human-readable. Instead of just plain numbers and rate, it shows the source, destination, rate, number of tickets and such info. It was the source that caught my eye. It said 'ITPL' where it should have said 'Sathya Sai'. One stop costs you Rs 20 and the other costs Rs 15. Clever, isn't it? How many of us do check the ticket anyways? The conductor says its this much and we accept it.

I thought only autorickshaw drivers did this jaasti business. Turns out a regulated govt. service also indulges in this cheapness. And that too a service that changed the way Bangalore travels. Next time I am on a volvo, I am gonna double check the source and destination and speak out then and there if I find any mistake. Anything out of ordinary, the alarm bell should ring.

And what did I do with that Rs 20 ticket? The bus had covered quite a distance by the time I noticed. There was no way to prove that I got in from 'Sathya Sai' stop except for my word against the conductors.

And those who probably are thinking, this guy is such a loser. Crying over Rs 5 and all, this is my answer. Its my money. I didn't earn it by pickpocketing or charging anybody a little jaasti. I didn't earn it by begging. Its mine and I decide how to spend it. Even if its Re 1. Class dismissed.