Keralam Bus Row: Student’s Free Ticket Complaint Leads to Conductor’s Suspension

A dispute involving an RTC bus conductor and a higher-secondary student has been reported from Kochi district in Keralam. The student was travelling with her friends from North Paravur to Kochi after visiting a temple. Under the free bus travel facility available to women in the state, she asked for a zero-value ticket. However, the conductor initially mistook her for a male passenger and issued a Rs.15 ticket. When she requested a free ticket, he questioned her gender, leading to a brief argument before the zero-value ticket was eventually issued.

The student later approached transport officials and the police, alleging that the conductor’s question had embarrassed and insulted her. Following a preliminary inquiry by the transport corporation’s vigilance wing, the conductor, identified as Mahesh, was suspended. Police also registered a case under relevant sections. Mahesh has denied the allegations, saying the incident was the result of a misunderstanding. He said he initially believed the student was a boy because of her clothing and appearance and issued the zero-value ticket after she clarified that she was a girl. He further claimed that a woman passenger sitting nearby had also initially mistaken the student for a boy. Mahesh maintained that he did not use abusive or insulting language and said he was confident of proving his innocence in the case.