Two videos went viral on social media here on Monday, showing four women getting down from a TNSTC bus after the conductor refused to issue them tickets because of the free travel scheme.
The incident took place on Erode-Perundurai bus route number 12, when the women boarded the bus at Rayrapalayam near Chithode and demanded the conductor to issue tickets for them.
In a viral video, the women said that they were waiting at the bus stop for three hours and the TNSTC buses failed to stop as travel is free for women in government buses. He claimed that after the state government announced the free travel scheme for women, most of the buses were not stopping at the designated bus stops. Hence, they did not want to travel for free and demanded the conductor to issue tickets for them and accept the money.
When the conductor refused to take the money, the women got into a scuffle with him. As soon as the driver stopped the bus, they said that they were dropped in the middle of their journey.
In another video taken after getting off the bus, the women can be seen saying that a state minister had made a remark in bad taste about women passengers traveling for free. Hence, he justified his demand for issuance of tickets by accepting the money. TNSTC officials said the incident is being investigated.
Recently, an elderly woman in Coimbatore refused free travel in a government bus and got into an argument with the conductor.