30-05-2025
BEST conductors grapple with paucity of loose change
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has been grappling with complaints from conductors regarding the paucity of loose change since bus fares were hiked on May 9. The shortage has forced conductors to issue more credit notes to passengers than earlier, pushing up the daily average of credit notes from ₹700 to ₹1,100, said sources. The problem is especially acute in airconditioned buses plying on short-distance ring routes, wherein the fare was hiked from ₹6 to ₹12, the sources added.
'Earlier, when passengers on ring routes paid us ₹10, we would have to return ₹5 in case of non-AC buses and ₹4 in case of AC buses,' a BEST conductor told Hindustan Times. 'But after the hike in minimum fare to ₹10 for non-AC buses and ₹12 for AC buses, we must return ₹8 or ₹10, which is a major problem due to the shortage of loose change.'
BEST conductors are provided coins worth ₹125 everyday for several years now, said BEST sources. But far more ₹20 coins and notes are in circulation compared to ₹10 coins and notes, which is compounding the problem, said BEST union members. 'I myself have received several complaints about passengers arguing with conductors regarding returning loose change,' said BEST union leader Subhash Samant.
As per standard practice, when conductors do not have loose change, they write the amount payable to passengers on the backside of their tickets. These 'credit notes' must be encashed at the BEST depot in Wadala and it is not possible to use them to pay for other bus journeys, said sources in BEST.
'There is a need to decentralise the disbursal of credit notes so that passengers don't spend extra to collect their own money, which at times could be lesser than the amount spent on travelling to Wadala depot,' said a BEST official.
According to figures from BEST, between May 1 and May 8, BEST issued credit notes worth ₹5,746. But from May 9, when fares were hiked, till May 20, credit notes worth ₹12,621 were issued by conductors.
'The BEST administration should have thought about these issues prior to increasing fares. They should have spoken to banks for dispensing more coins,' said a commuter who did not wish to be identified.
Meanwhile, the use of Chalo cards for purchasing tickets is slowly picking up, with 15-20% passengers using the cards now.
