Fines up to ₹2000 to be imposed on those travelling without ticket in Rajasthan Roadways buses

The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) is gearing up to increase the fine for travelling without tickets (WT) in roadways buses. Soon, the penalty for a WT offence will be charged at 10 times the total fare of the bus route, going as high as ₹2000. This strict provision will encourage people to buy authentic tickets, assisting the state transport agency to generate revenue.

Penalty is presently marked at 5 times the fare of bus route

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As of now, travellers are charged 5-times the bus fare for committing a WT offence, which is set to be double at 10-times soon. The fine will not exceed ₹2000, irrespective of the cost of the bus ticket, added reports. On Thursday, the RSRTC presented a bill before the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to make the necessary amendments in the Prevention of Ticket-less Travel Act, 1975 for the same.

The proposal is expected to be passed by the State Assembly after a week of discussion. It will then move upwards for the Governor's approval and the new penalty order is likely to become applicable by next week itself.

An attempt to cover the losses incurred in recent years

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The Rajasthan Roadways has been incurring losses for many years now and one of the main reasons of this is people travelling without tickets. Additionally, the COVID-induced lockdown had also given a blow to its revenue, burdening the state roadways department.

As such, this measure will help the state roadways to tackle and trap the surge in loss and instil discipline among travellers. It will also help to effectively control the number of citizens commuting without buying tickets, said the Transport Minister of Rajasthan.