Even as a large section of the commuter fraternity is pondering over the increased fare in public transport buses, which is yet to be revised, most of the buses that ply in and around the city fleece commuters by not being transparent in fare and route maps.

Not just the fares and route maps, a number of violations including modifying seats and not following the stopping at bus stops also fleece the public and please the management say activists.

C.M. Jayaraman, President of the Citizen’s Voice Club said that most buses do not have route maps, also known as ‘toposketch’. This should be accompanied with a clear fare display board to help commuters know the bus fare. According to the Motor Vehicles Act, this is a must, he said

“When this is not available, it becomes easy for the conductors to collect more fare from the commuters . In most cases, people from other districts who travel in city buses are exploited easily because they do not know the fare or the route,” he said.

He further informed that the driver and the conductors do not even keep a first aid kit to assist during emergencies, which is again a provision in the Act.

“All the buses must have an emergency exit and it should also be mentioned clearly just as in trains or aircraft. Not many buses have it, ” he complained.

C. Kathiresan, a commuter near Gandipuram said that in order to accommodate more passengers, the management reduces the seat size or removes seats, which causes a lot of inconvenience to passengers Removing seats enable more number of passengers to stand and travel.

He also added that the buses, especially government buses that are supposed to stop in only a specific bus stops, stop at every stop for more money. “Despite the display board stating Limited Stop Service (LSS) or Express buses, the bus nevertheless stops at every stop enroute,” he complained.

The activists claimed that proper checking at regular intervals could help reduce the exploitation of public.

Reacting to this, a senior official from the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation said that regular inspections were being conducted and violators fined.