'Is that your wife or girlfriend?' Avoid such unnecessary questions, KSRTC minister instructs conductors

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister KB Ganesh Kumar has instructed the KSRTC employees to refrain from asking personal questions to the passengers about their co-passengers or companions. He says that it is inappropriate for a conductor to inquire a passenger about the nature of his/her relationship with their companion. The minister added that the KSRTC employees need not know the relationship between passengers and that their only duty is to ensure a proper travelling experience for the passengers. This instruction was shared as a reel that is part of a social media series that offers such instructions and advice to the KSRTC employees as well as sharing the complaints of passengers. A conductor was suspended, a few months ago, for questioning a brother and sister who had booked tickets on a bus and forcing them to purchase tickets again.

In the reel, the minister emphasized that the KSRTC sees passengers as masters. The conductors in KSRTC and SWIFT should behave in a friendly manner. Such ideal behaviour would only improve KSRTC’s quality of service and help the corporation earn more income, which in turn enhances the employees’ status. The minister also advised the employees to be gentle and kinder to women, children and differently-abled persons. 
There have been many instances of KSRTC staff including conductors misbehaving with passengers in recent times. There were also reports on a few of them getting suspended for behaving inappropriately with women.