Omalur passengers claim route bus conductors do not allow them to occupy seats in buses

Omalur passengers protest bus conductors' refusal to allow them seats, forcing them to stand during commutes from Salem.

Passengers commuting to Omalur from Salem New Bus Stand claim that conductors do not allow them to take seats in government and private buses.

A large number of people travel from Omalur, a town panchayat situated 14 km away from Salem New Bus Stand, to Salem city for work, by paying ₹10 as a ticket fare in route buses. People prefer route buses heading to Mettur and Dharmapuri to reach Omalur from Salem city. However, passengers claim that the conductors of these route buses do not allow them to board the bus until the seats are occupied. Only after the seats are filled, the Omalur passengers are allowed to travel while standing in the bus.

S. Indhuja (33), a school teacher residing at Omalur, said that conductors do not permit Omalur passengers to board until the seats are filled and buses start to move. At the last minute, the conductors allow passengers to step into the bus and only permit them to stand until they reach Omalur. The standard fare is ₹10 to Omalur. But, if passengers get a ticket for Panchukalipatti or Kamaneri (₹16) they are allowed to occupy the seats.

She alleged that even if passengers travelling to Omalur occupy the available seats, they are asked to give up their seats, by conductors, for passengers travelling to Mecheri or Mettur, who board at another stop. “If they do not want to give seats for Omalur passengers, why do they display Omalur as a stop on the buses? The Transport Department should take action against these conductors and instruct them,” she said.

The government bus conductors said with the provision of free travel for women in town buses, the number of people opting for route buses have reduced. Therefore, the long-travel seats are filled first and the other passengers are allowed to board after that. “We are only asking them to travel while standing in the morning (7 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.) and evening (3 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.) during the rush hours”, a conductor added.

Officials attached to the Salem division of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) said that no instruction was given to conductors to make passengers travel while standing in the bus or allow them to board at the last minute. Instructions will be given to conductors in this regard, they added.