KSRTC e-Ticket - ONLY ORIGINAL PHOTO ID CARD ?

KSRTC, Karnataka State Transport Corporation, renders a splendid job of ferrying lakhs of passenger a day. With its ever improving fleet and in a constant endeavor to grow upwards, KSRTC has been coming up with various strategies competent with major private players, much to the service of passengers.

The AWATAR (Any Where Any Time Advance Reservation), has painted a new picture of KSRTC's emergence in the Cyber space ticketing. This entails the passengers to book tickets in advance from any part of the world through internet, accrediting it a first transport corporation in India to have implemented this solution for Online ticketing.

These state-of-art ticketing facility is a boon and is aptly tapped by 'Internet-enabled professionals' to book the journey tickets at a click of the mouse. Of course, you may have to be owl-eyed to book tickets yourself without the help of Internet booking agents, for the ticket booking timings are between 21:00hrs and 09:00hrs. Sometimes, luck may favor you to gain access at 'odd' times, which is otherwise the agents' timings.

While there are host of new initiatives being piloted by KSRTC including Bio-diesel for stunted pollution, Weekend-specials and so on... It may have to rethink on policy making especially an already laid one, which at the outset may seem pettifogging, but time we come out of English evasion while promulgating Law and policy. Here is on such instance, which makes passengers welcome to the trouble brewery:

KSRTC website (www.avatar.in) makes it clear in its "Terms and Conditions" juxtaposed near Login page:

The on-duty Conductor (or Driver-cum-Conductor) will verify the Identity Card of the passenger as per the tripsheet and "e-Ticket" during the journey. If the passenger fails to produce the specified Identity Proof in original during the journey, the ticket will be treated as INVALID and the passenger will be treated as "Travelling without Ticket". Photocopies of Identity proof are not allowed.

The conductors coming down heavily on this clause really makes one frown on the system. The ultimate motive behind insisting on Original Photo ID clearly establishes the fact that no right person is deprived of his Journey seat booking. But it also casts aspersion when it culminates to the very point that the right person is deprived of his journey merely for not in possession of the "Original" photo ID card as was entered in the ticket while booking, despite the person ready to prove his identity by many other sources including alternative Photo Identity cards.

The hues and cries of fellow passengers would prove futile for the conductor always sticks to his guns pointing the clause on the ticket to carry the specified Original Photo ID card !

A journey of pleasure is sure to turn a nightmare !!!

I could barely recall my 11th Class (Correct me if I am wrong) English prose, on the chapter " All About a Dog", where the author takes through the travails of a lady with a dog, on a chilly winter, denied access into the bus by the conductor, for the very reason that "Pets are not allowed". The author concludes with his style, as if ' There are hard and fast rules and should apply and can never be bent for the sake of individual. However there are few guidelines which are meant for the convenience of the people and not to trouble them'

As a precautionary measure, netizens, please carry the Original Photo ID card as selected by you during the booking of the "e-ticket", to prove your identity before boarding.

May I call upon People-friendly initiatives to not harass the genuineness of the passenger merely by "Original" Photo ID as laid down in the paper, but provide options to the passenger to prove his identity.

After all a Death-sentence convict is given a last say !