No change, say conductors Is this a ruse?

by Omar Rajarathnam

On Wednesday, a commuter who was quarrelling was asked to get off a bus plying from Moratuwa to Pettah bearing route number 101 and the conductor threatened to terminate the journey if the commuter did not get off.

The conductor says "He is quarrelling for a balance of a rupee after giving me 10 rupees but I don't have change", a problem that the majority of commuters face daily.

These types of incidents take place in private buses where tickets are not issued making it difficult for commuters to convince the conductor who says he will give the balance at the end of the destination. Invariably, the conductor either has really forgotten the amount that is due or feigns forgetfulness.

"At least one million commuters use buses daily and nearly five million use it in the Western Province.

These arguments make a bus journey unpleasant" President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association, Gemunu Wijeratne told the Sunday Observer.

He has big plans to turn around the current bus transport in the country but claims that poor administration and lack of co-operation from the National Transport Authority makes it almost impossible to implement his plans.

"This type of incident happens all the time and we know that the conductors have change but refuse to give it to us because that money is an additional source of income for them and when we ask for the balance the manner they talk to us is absolutely appalling," a commuter said.

Another commuter said "Do they expect us to have the exact change all the time? If this is what they expect, conductors can be replaced with ticket machines which are incapable of rendering change money, this is ridiculous.

It is the conductor's responsibility to have enough coins on the whole journey.

Conversely, conductors believe that commuters must not board a bus without coins.

They feel it is an unnecessary burden to their already hectic profession which strains their vocal chords and body.

A conductor on a bus plying from Mattakkuliya to Seemamalaka bearing route number 145 said "Some passengers think it is their right to be spared a rupee.

They give us Rs 5 and look away, this type of conduct is very annoying, if we allow this; it becomes a habit.

If we allow 10 percent of commuters to get away with this habit, we will lose large sums of money causing an impact on our commission".

With both conductors and the commuters having raised their concerns, we asked Wijeyarathne his views on the issue.

Question: What measures have you taken to resolve this issue so far?

Answer: I am aware that some conductors are in the habit of not giving change money and patronise passengers who demand for their change by talking to them in a rude tone, I have addressed this issue many times but we do not have a system in place to report such incidents and requests to refrain from such unethical practice have gone unheard.

"I have recommended the pre-paid card system for private bus travel, once the card touches the machine, the exact amount for the journey is deducted eliminating the possibility of arguments relating to change money.

The transactions will be processed at the end of the day and the money will reach the banks.

A firm in India and another firm in Hong Kong have been approached to help us and they are able to seal a deal with us, but the authorities don't seem to give us the green light to proceed.

Q: The plan is a long-term one, how about short-term plans to ensure a qualitative journey?

A: I have been in office for 11 years now and these problems are not new to me, I have tried to come up with short-term solutions over the years but nothing seems to work because the emphasis on public transport in the country is simply insufficient.

This is a perfect plan which is going to take time to implement but once we cross the bridge, things will improve gradually and we all will be able to put these bad experiences behind. However, I need the approval from the authority, I cannot proceed if they are not willing to co-operate.

Q: Are you playing the blame game?

A: I am certainly not. I am just calling for joint effort. I know the blame game does not work so I am having an open mind with a constructive plan.

I will be holding meetings next week with State bank officials with the help of Secretary of Finance Dr P.B. Jayasundera on using the banking system as an avenue of topping up these cards.

We plan on having top up cubicles in main bus stops too. I will also ask the authority to implement the time table system which will help organise routes and frequencies better.

The timetable system is not followed in-spite of a court order. Conductors are stressed and they run on a haphazard schedule and work long hours.

We want this system changed and are willing to co-operate with the authorities to arrive at a solution.

Q: What specific strategies do you have to encourage commuters to opt for the card system?

A: We will provide every commuter a card free and during the transition period, offer a discount for those who use the cards.

Once they develop that level of convenience, I am hopeful the strategy will pay off and we will soon be on our way to uplift the standards of public transportation in the country.

Q: The plan seems very advanced, have you attempted to explain the benefits of it to the relevant authorities and when will it be implemented?

A: Yes, I have but I will keep trying until I am heard. There is a 20 percent over supply of private buses in the country.

Nearly 15,000 buses transit in Colombo daily.

Given the five million commuters who travel daily in the Western province and with the estimate that each of them spend at least Rs 20 for travel.

We will be injecting Rs 100 million into the banking system daily only from the Western province.

Hence there is no reason to be cynical about this plan.

I can start work on it even tomorrow if the approval is granted.

I am convinced that this initiative will put a stop to many inconveniences commuters in the country face.

They deserve qualitative transport because they have been deprived of it for years.