MTC suspends driver, conductor who took detour
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com
Chennai:17.10.2018
A Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) driver and conductor, who operated a government bus along an unscheduled route in Chennai, were suspended on Tuesday.
While they were scheduled to operate between Iyappanthangal and Sunguvarchatram (route 525B), checking squad found them operating between Poonamalle and Sriperumbudur (route 578).
While authorities said the crew acted on their own accord to earn additional incentives through ticket sales, suspended employees claimed that they followed their higher officials’ oral instruction and were left to face the consequence alone when caught red-handed.
Preliminary inquiries reveal that the bus was not operated along the scheduled route for more than two years and people residing in the areas had to bear the brunt of not getting adequate government bus services.
According to the original schedule, a total of five buses were to be operated along route number 525 (between Vadapalani and Sunguvarchatram). Each bus is approved to take up at least five trips a day and of this, one bus is operated as a cut service between Iyyapanthangal and Sunguvarchatram (525B). This cut service was not operated as per schedule and was instead operated along route number 578, which attracts more passengers comparatively.
A senior MTC official claimed that the crew violated the norm and operated along a different route with the motive of earning more incentive via ticket sales. A MTC bus crew earns ₹1.3 to 1.5 paise as incentive for every ₹100 collected through daily ticket sales.
Rejecting this, Sampath, the suspended driver, told TOI that they acted upon Anbarasu, their branch manager's instruction and he assured to cover up the issue if they were caught. "But Anbarasu refused to step in and shifted the blame only towards us," he added.
Trip delay: MTC conductor in soup
In a similar incident, an MTC conductor was suspended for completing his trip 15 minutes late. R Yuvaraj, from T Nagar depot, working along route 72C (Thiruverkadu to T Nagar via Koyambedu), reached the depot to handover the cash collected through ticket sales around 5 pm instead of 4.45 pm. MTC workers called the move irrational as it was impossible to follow timings strictly because of the traffic in the city.
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com
Chennai:17.10.2018
A Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) driver and conductor, who operated a government bus along an unscheduled route in Chennai, were suspended on Tuesday.
While they were scheduled to operate between Iyappanthangal and Sunguvarchatram (route 525B), checking squad found them operating between Poonamalle and Sriperumbudur (route 578).
While authorities said the crew acted on their own accord to earn additional incentives through ticket sales, suspended employees claimed that they followed their higher officials’ oral instruction and were left to face the consequence alone when caught red-handed.
Preliminary inquiries reveal that the bus was not operated along the scheduled route for more than two years and people residing in the areas had to bear the brunt of not getting adequate government bus services.
According to the original schedule, a total of five buses were to be operated along route number 525 (between Vadapalani and Sunguvarchatram). Each bus is approved to take up at least five trips a day and of this, one bus is operated as a cut service between Iyyapanthangal and Sunguvarchatram (525B). This cut service was not operated as per schedule and was instead operated along route number 578, which attracts more passengers comparatively.
A senior MTC official claimed that the crew violated the norm and operated along a different route with the motive of earning more incentive via ticket sales. A MTC bus crew earns ₹1.3 to 1.5 paise as incentive for every ₹100 collected through daily ticket sales.
Rejecting this, Sampath, the suspended driver, told TOI that they acted upon Anbarasu, their branch manager's instruction and he assured to cover up the issue if they were caught. "But Anbarasu refused to step in and shifted the blame only towards us," he added.
Trip delay: MTC conductor in soup
In a similar incident, an MTC conductor was suspended for completing his trip 15 minutes late. R Yuvaraj, from T Nagar depot, working along route 72C (Thiruverkadu to T Nagar via Koyambedu), reached the depot to handover the cash collected through ticket sales around 5 pm instead of 4.45 pm. MTC workers called the move irrational as it was impossible to follow timings strictly because of the traffic in the city.
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