KSRTC empanelled conductor removed from duty after woman passenger forced off bus over online fare delay

An empanelled conductor of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) attached to the Vellarada depot in Thiruvananthapuram has been removed from duty following a complaint that he forced a woman passenger off a bus at night over a delay in paying the fare through an online payment app.

The conductor, Anil Kumar, a native of Neyyattinkara, had been working at the Vellarada depot for the past 15 years. He was terminated from service on Monday, officials said.

According to the complainant, S Divya of Ponnambi in Vellarada, the incident happened on Friday night during the last trip of the bus. Divya, who works as a nurse at a clinic in Kunthukal, was returning home after visiting a doctor and purchasing medicines as she was unwell.

She attempted to pay the ticket fare via Google Pay, but the transaction failed due to poor mobile network connectivity. Divya told the conductor that she would settle the fare on reaching Vellarada, but alleged that he verbally abused her and forced her to alight around 9.10 pm near Tholadikkal, in a deserted area.

After she informed her husband, he rushed to the spot on a bike, leaving their two young children at home, and took her back. Divya later filed a complaint with the Assistant Transport Officer (ATO), following which an inquiry was conducted, and disciplinary action was taken against the conductor.