[Resolved]  KSRTC — Reservation not adressed properly

Dear Sir

Sub: Suggestion to improve the services

I had booked reservation journey ticket no 16317324 with PNR no J 15170234 for a return journey from Sringeri to Coimbatore on 16/01/2010. We were on our onward journey to Sringeri on 13th night reaching Sringeri on 14th Jan 2010.

Here I must appreciate the conductor of the Bus who enquired about our travel plan, and gave us good suggestions to carry out our trip. Since our travel plan was altered we wanted to board the bus at Hassan on 16th instead of Sringeri. He guided us to contact the office in front of the Temple. There we met Mr Preetham and requested for the change of boarding place and asked him whether we should give an written application. He had noted the seat numbers in a note and told us that our request will be acceded and we can board at Hassan. When I insisted that he can give the remark in the bus ticket to avoid any confusion later, He said that when the trip sheet is made it will be taken care of and there is no need for any mention In the ticket. In the Sringeri bus stand again I approached the traffic in charge with the same request he again noted the seat numbers and gave the same reply.

After visiting other places when we reached Hassan at about 4.45 pm on 16 Jan, 2010 I contacted the traffic inspector Sri Subbachar to get a confirmation about my boarding status. He guided to me to get in touch with the traffic inspector at platform no 2. When I approached the traffic inspector Sri Manjunath he took us to the reservation counter there and spoke to an official there. Then he contacted Sringeri Bus stand and spoke to them. Then he told me that I will get the reserved seats at Hassan. I was really pleased and thanked him for the good services.

When the bus came at 9 p m at Hassan I contacted the bus conductor with the reserved ticket and asked him about my seats , who in turn told me to board the bus and if other passengers were there to tell them to change the seats. But the fellow passengers refused to oblige. Not only that , even a passenger commented, Reserve maduthanthe Gadi nee appan manaya. That shows how much regard a reservation is treated in the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. Even the words of the traffic inspector could not yield any result, except that we got two seats for the ladies. When the bus started my wife said in anguish what is the use of reserving the seats when we had to be standing passengers. To that the conductor started in a abusive tone, probably emboldened by the fellow passengers earlier remark, that there are no rules for him to allow us to board us in Hassan, since we have not boarded the bus at Sringeri since he had no information, and it is because of his mercy that we were allowed to board.

I infer the following from the above:

1 When we have approached your sringeri office we could have been told that change of boarding place is not permissible. Even NO is a decision, where we could have made alternative plans.
2 In the technical advancement of today if the change of boarding is permitted an entry could have been made so as to incorporate the change in the trip sheet
3 Even after the confirmation from Hassan, if the conductor has not reserved the tickets for boarding at Hassan there is a communication gap, for which the reserved passenger is not responsible.
4 Even a reserved passenger who has paid for his ticket in advance and properly planning his travel has to be at the mercy of the bus conductor, when a travel plan is changed and the request of the passenger is acceded.

I am just bringing this to your notice not to claim compensation or to approach the consumer forum. I strongly feel no legal action can redress the grievance unless the concerned office shows moral courage to accept the mistake committed by its staff.

I suggest in such occasions you can get a written application and give an endorsement on the ticket after the necessary changes are incorporated in the computer. That is why I have not written this letter as a complaint but a suggestion to improve your service.

Thanking you