The Kalaburagi Division 1 of the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC), on Thursday, suspended a driver-cum-conductor for leaving an electronic ticketing machine (ETM) unattended in a bus which was subsequently used by a student to issue 11 tickets to passengers.

According to a press note issued by the corporation on Thursday, the incident occurred on Tuesday when driver-cum-conductor Siddappa attached to the Kalagi depot was on duty on the bus operating on the Kalagi-Kalaburagi-Mangalgi route.

The bus was parked at the Super Market City Bus Stand in Kalaburagi and the conductor left the ETM inside the vehicle instead of keeping it in his custody, which was his responsibility, the corporation said.

Taking advantage of the situation, the student used the ETM and issued 11 tickets to passengers travelling on the bus. Other passengers recorded the incident and circulated the video on social media.

The corporation said that the incident has affected its image among the travelling public. It also termed the conductor’s action as negligence and dereliction of duty.

The conductor was suspended on Thursday under the corporation’s Employees Conduct and Discipline Rules, the press note said.

Following the incident, the corporation organised a video conference with all depot managers and traffic staff at noon on Thursday and instructed them to strictly follow the organisation’s rules, behave courteously with passengers and discharge their duties carefully.

The depot managers and traffic staff were also directed to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Published - August 20, 2026 06:54 pm IST