This happens not only in India
The other day I was travelling home at around 10:30pm from office. The bus was still decently crowded. Two stops before mine, two gentlemen disembarked. Both of them had the BMTC daily pass. The BMTC daily pass, as the name suggests, allows the holder to travel unlimited on any BMTC bus withing bangalore throught the day. It comes for Rs. 25 and sales people and people who travel long distances daily prefer buying it.
So, as these two gentlemen got down, they did something very strange. Just before alighting, one of them held out his pass so for eveyone on the bus stop to see. The other man followed suite. I was wondering what they were doing. Two other people, who looked like construction workers, were about to alight the bus. On seeing the pass being displayed, they quietly grabbed one each and climbed the bus. When the conductor came around, they displayed the passes they had just obtained and continued to travel. Guess they saved a few bucks on the ticket cost. Those two gentlemen had given away their passes, which were of no more use to them to two needed guys. On one hand I knew that these guys were doing worng by travelling 'without tickets', in the literal sense, but it also felt good to see the brotherhood among completely different strangers.
Most of us think, this happens in Bangalore only. But I am afraid, that this is not the first time I am hearing this happen. I remember my kiwi friend, Arama, telling me that this happens very often in New Zealand as well. It is very common for youngsters, among the local Mauri tribes to buy a single ticket and than quickly drop it out through the window to his friend waiting outside. Infact, I remember him cursing the aussie buses that day, since they were fully airconditioned and had no windows!!!! Arama was a very good friend and colleague of mine and I would have gladly thrown out my ticket if he had asked for it.
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