Have you ever looked at a bus ticket closely and wondered why it printed the way it is mainly city bus tickets? This picture of a BMTC bus ticket is now going viral on the internet and netizens are wondering why these BMTC tickets have these unexplained numbers.
BMTC tickets
Indeed India is going digital, but still in many places tickets and receipts are given as it stands as legal proof and many times also required for various taxation purposes by the commuter/visitor. But there are numbers on 2 columns on the left-hand side and the right side. Ever wondered what this is? Let’s find out.
Tickets in BMTC are based on stages – which means every 2 kilometers makes a stage. Now, the 2 columns on the left-hand side is used to point to which stage you got into the bus, while the two columns on the right-hand side indicate where you got off. The conductor is expected to mark the columns.
For example, let’s assume you are traveling on bus route 510 – Kengeri to Banashankari in Bengaluru. You board the bus at Nayandahalli and will get off at Kathriguppe. Nayandahalli is approximately 6 kilometers away from Kengeri which is 3rd stage from Kengeri. Meanwhile, Kathriguppe is approximately 11 kilometers away from Kengeri which is the 6th stage from Kengeri. So, the conductor marks “3” in the first column and “6” in the third column, to say that you are traveling from the 3rd stage to the 6th stage.
Meanwhile, the 2 column is used for some routes that are really long. These tickets would have the name of the “from” and “to” stages.
For example, route number 600 travels 117 kilometers. So if you travel from stage number 22 to stage number 30, then the markings are as follows:
- 2 in the first column.
- 2 in the second column.
- 3 in the third column.
- 0 in the fourth column.
This type of practice is rarely done in BMTC. Nevertheless, that’s what the numbers are there for.
I belong to this Era of Bengaluru❤️ Anyone else tried to figure out what those numbers are? pic.twitter.com/VwfvLqLkbb
— yaarivanu_unknownu (@memesmaadonu) December 6, 2022
In these tickets, passengers are charged according to the number of stages traveled by passengers, and not the actual distance traveled.
Netizens react
Guru ha 5₹ kootu Bengaluru sootho Majane bere .. specially Srinagar 36 series buses
— ಗಿರೀಶ್ ಬಿ. ಎಂ. | GBM ? (@girishbm) December 6, 2022
We have all grown up from that era to the startup era.
— Made In Bengaluru (@MadeinBengaluru) December 6, 2022
Respect to the conductors who worked whole day in packed buses…and still do
— Manjunath Shivaram (@mshivaram) December 6, 2022
Numbers represent stages. Every stage will have 5-6 stops based on distance. Ticket price will depend on the number of stages we travel. In this case first stage is ₹5. Each stage will have different ticket price. Conductor has to punch ‘from’ stage to ‘to’ stage of passenger.
— Indresh?#SimbaRajya (@narayaindi) December 6, 2022
Those nos are from – Stages/ stop boarding frm, To means – stages/ stop to which ur destination so based on these ur fare is decided. Top no is issue & tickets count no at end of each trip they they can count sale of tickets vrs money to give u collection of Money ?
— Trishan Gangaraju (@trishan_harsha) December 6, 2022
These tickets are issued even Today.
BMTC Still in 19th Century.— Madhu (@madhusu30742778) December 6, 2022
That era when it was called BTS bussu.
— மாசுதிவன்™ (@masuthivan) December 6, 2022
I used to collect different tickets , colors , and denominations.
— Madhva Raj A (@madhva_a) December 6, 2022
