The Unexpectedly Kind Bus Conductor I Met In Bangalore

The bus conductors across India have problem of their own, from chewing pan to indecent language to not-so-warm behavior. But this one was not so cut-out for that definition.



Most of my traveling across the stretch of India which I have stayed and moved has been by bus, mostly public and sometimes private. Rarely on train and more scarcely by flight. Most of Indians will relate to this except for those staying in Mumbai for them bus can be replaced with local train! And this is where I have met people from different hues of life, old, young and those not-at-all charming end-of-the-world-loud babies. It’s great experience where you throw yourself to unexpectedness. But there’s one person you have interacted regularly while traveling by bus, ticket collector or bus conductor. Recently, few women have started to apply for the job of conductor and take up the challenging work which otherwise is a man’s world to move from one side of the (most of the times) crowded bus to other side shouting ‘ticket-ticket’. 

Some conductors are high on humor meter, some low, some old obnoxious types and rest just plain boring. Kindness or good-mannerism is mostly not the trait you associate with them. But yesterday morning, I was in for a surprise as I took BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus from Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore. It was around 4 AM in the morning, unusually cold where your teeth starts to chatter and make sound! I was just back from a short new year’ trip. The plan was to book a cab and ride to room as I thought airport buses won’t be around this early a morning but there they were. 
I bid good byes to my friends who were waiting with quite a huge pile of luggage with them and started running to board the bus (it had already started to move from its stop). Once in, it was more cold, the AC was on! Now I don’t know why anyone requires more cooling when it’s already hell cold outside. Anyway, I kept my bag on a pile of bags at the center of bus and took the only seat available as the bus was full otherwise. It begun.

After a while, when bus conductor had already took bills from all passengers, the first stop almost arrived and before it could arrive, the GPS based announcement on loudspeaker started loud, “the next stop is…” — everyone (most of us including me) who were asleep got up. No one got down at that stop. And bus started again but then I never heard the announcement thereafter. For all I know, I was little nervous. I didn’t know the city too well to get down at my stop on my own. Announcements were good way to let me know when would my stop arrive but then they also disturbed the passengers who were all in a dizzy state. 4:30 AM is sleep time for anyone around. As next stop was approaching, conductor went around to each seat and told each passenger the arriving station and asked where they were going to. He wasn’t shouting per se, just coming to each seat and asking. Quite odd a scene in an Indian bus which otherwise are notorious for their loud high decibel noises. I Have traveled most of my time in Bangalore inside BMTC buses but not a single time have I came across any conductor so polite while announcing next stops. Bus moved and my thoughts moved along with it. Each stop he would come again, announce the upcoming stop, ask our destination. In some time he was remembering few of our destinations. Mine was pretty easy as it was where most IT companies were and around 6–7 passengers had named the same station. So during next few stops, he didn’t bother to ask us and we slept bending our heads on seats lying front. I remember him coming at one station and tapping on a guy’s shoulder who was sitting a seat next to me, waking him up and asking if he has to get down at a particular station, he nodded and hurried to grab his bag while the conductor helping him hold it. It was unusual. Totally new-to-me scene. 
Two stations before mine, there was an old couple getting down. They had a luggage bag, quite huge one with wheels, one they can pull by handle and walk briskly but hard to hold up and get down the bus. The conductor was quick enough to ask them get down and get their bag down by himself and I was like, am I dreaming?

This is when I was thinking to click a picture of him but then with other passengers around and himself, it felt bit odd. In a moment my stop arrived as this thoughts started to make room in my head. I thought I will get down, say thanks and will click a picture of bus. My backpack was already on my shoulders, stop arrived, door slid open and I got back. Conductor had already moved towards the driver seat as all remaining passengers got down at this particular stop, I looked if I could see him. I saw him but couldn’t fathom if he did and just said thanks anna (brother in local language) and waved hand. I opened my phone to click a picture but that’s when I got a snap text and before I could slide it down and click cam button, the bus was long moved. It was still dark to zoom and click a shot. Disappointed. All I have as a souvenir is this ticket from bus…




But my mood and spirit was up, soaring. I had a smile on my face, one that’s reassuring of the good in all of us and one that’s contagious. 


This sort of behavior doesn’t take much effort to emulate but we (or the other conductors in this case) don’t bother to be a little more smiling and supportive in our day-to-day life. The few who wish to spread smiles sometimes fall prey to day-to-day churn of life as well. If my past travels and little conversations that I have had with conductors is any clue then they lose their morning charm once day kicks in and buses go full against their capacity, and also the (few but significant) nuisance-laden customers they meet. 

That’s it for now. Do write below about good (or bad) conductors (or fellow travelers) you had fortune (!) of meeting or interacting.



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