Pay Up or Pay Heavy: SMC cracks whip on e-bus fare dodgers

Srinagar, May 28:  The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has announced strict penalties for passengers travelling without a ticket or pass on the city's e-buses. In a bid to curb fare evasion, the new regulations stipulate fines up to ten times the legal fare or a flat penalty of Rs 500 for offenders.

As per SMC officials, passengers found travelling without a valid pass or ticket will be liable to be punished with a fine of up to Rs 500 under Section 178 of the penal code. Moreover, offences such as misbehaviour, obstruction to checking officers in the discharge of their duties, and refusal to provide information can also attract fines of up to Rs 500 under penal section 178/1.

The fare structure for Srinagar's e-buses is distance-based, with rates ranging from Rs 10 for journeys up to 3 kilometres to Rs 40 for trips between 25 and 30 kilometres. However, recent incidents of passengers travelling without tickets and getting into altercations with conductors when asked to produce their tickets have prompted the authorities to take strict action.

"Sometimes conductors do not issue tickets, or passengers neglect to buy them. This behaviour further underscores the need for stringent enforcement of the new rules," an SMC official stated, emphasizing the importance of compliance with the fare regulations.

Anuj Malhotra, General Manager of Planning at Srinagar Smart City Limited told Greater Kashmir it is the responsibility of bus passengers to purchase their tickets. "Failure to do so will result in a fine of Rs 500," he said.

He further said that it is the conductor's responsibility to give tickets to passengers.. “It is the public’s responsibility as well to buy a ticket, just as we do when travelling by train. For ticketless travel, we have to impose a fine. They will be penalized," he said.

Nearly 98 hi-tech e-buses are plying on Srinagar routes, providing some respite to passengers on various routes.

Srinagar Smart City Ltd officials have also launched the 'Chalo' app, which helps the passengers of Srinagar access all e-bus facilities with a click on their smartphones.