‘No change’: Masked Karnataka transport minister ordered off Bengaluru bus by conductor
Byrathi Suresh travelled incognito on Bengaluru's public transport network to understand everyday commuter issues, from demands for exact change to overcharging by autorickshaws.
BMTC said that when Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh informed him he did not have the required change, Ramakrishna behaved rudely and discourteously.(Screengrabs enhanced using AI)
Written by Neysa Mary
Karnataka’s newly inducted Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh has had a harsh taste of the daily struggles faced by ordinary commuters when a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) conductor ordered him off a bus for failing to provide exact change, unaware that he was speaking to a minister.
In an effort to gather firsthand experience regarding commuter grievances, Suresh donned a face mask to conceal his identity and boarded a BMTC bus operating from Hebbal to Nagashettihalli on Saturday night. After seeking two tickets, the minister handed the conductor a Rs 100 note.
The conductor demanded the exact change of Rs 12, opening his cash pouch to prove he had no loose coins or notes of smaller denominations. He then told the masked minister to get down at the next corner if he could not pay the precise fare.
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