Saturday, June 16, 2007

I've booked a ticket from Bangalore to Coimbatore in KSRTC for 15th June 6:30PM bus, on 11th June online in KRSTC.in. By 3:30PM on 15th Friday I've left the office and picked my baggage from home and walked to the nearest bus stand and got in a bus which was going to Shivaji Nagar. Since I had booked the ticket in KSRTC I can travel in any BMTC bus to reach Kempegowda Bus Station I don't have to buy a ticket, conductor verified the ticket and every thing was OK. I got down in Ulsoor to catch another bus which will take me to KGBS. After few minutes trouble I got in to 315L which goes to KGBS. Here also the conductor verified my ticket and I didn't have to buy a ticket. Reached KGBS at 5:00PM since I was 1hr 30 mins earlier, I started looking around whats happening... there were Arrow shirts, FM radios, some of the international designer brand watches and sun glass for RS75 and so on... I was wondering how cheap the branded items are here....

The bus came around 6:00PM to platform no 7. And I got inside the bus and sat in my seat number 22 (window seat). Then came our hero, with a ticket for same 22W seat... He was bit rude and said that this is my seat. He as having a orange color ticket which he would have bought it in any ksrtc booking counter and claimed that my online ticket is fake! Then came one guy to verify my ticket and tell me that the ticket has been actually booked for 11th June 6:30PM bus........ GRRRRRRRRRRRRR NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... was bit nervous for few minutes wondering what to do now... mean time our hero was ready to pick up an argument with me... and I just ignored him. Then came the conductor, I asked him does he has any extra ticket. He took RS300 and gave me a ticket for window seat 6 and also said don't ask me change! That's fine with me if he would have said no tickets are there probably I would have to cancel my entire trip! Seat no 6 should be far better than seat 22. A good thing in my stupidity. How this could have happened? I just have no idea, I used to the super conscious around my friends.. mistakes do happen... probably I would keep doing this mistake often, since it doesn't hurt me to do so!

After the bus started moving I was wondering how did I miss to check the date of journey? And having this out of date ticket I have travelled in two BMTC bus also! And those conductors "verified" the ticket! Probably if they would have found it on the way, I would have returned back home thinking there will be no ticket for me! Good that they didn't notice the date!! How so many people could miss that "date of journey" aspect?

Until the bus reached Mysore the seat no 6 would not have made any different, the was moving like sliding on butter! Superb road! From Mysore to Coimbatore until the road touches Tamilnadu border, road is in pathetic condition. And why do they put so many road bumps? you just cant sleep! Adding to the poor roads, from Mysore two mallu chatter box sat behind my seat and kept chatting until 12:00AM. At times at high volume... The bus started climbing a hill for few minutes and then started climbing down around 1:15AM. The view from the hills was spectacular... the land side light was glittering. This is the first time I'm travelling in this route to Coimbatore! And the trip was OK, I should say good, especially when I've made a stupid mistake.

2 comments:

Krishna Das said...

Please don't travel free of cost showing some outdated ticket. It affects the government's money. Also, check the 'time stamp order' and make sure nothing is 'out-of-date'!!

Anonymous said...

hey, in every ksrtc bus, 4 seats are reserved for MLAs. These are from the front seat like no:6. These seats can be given to normal passengers only when no MLA shows up. So conductors/drivers usually give these seats away to desperate passengers at a higher price.

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