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ONCE upon a time, our buses plying on long distance routes did not have any provision for storing passengers’ baggage. As a result, the passengers’ belongings would be thrown on top of the bus and tied with a rope. Many buses would not even have a plastic sheet to protect the baggage from the rain. Sometimes the bags would fall off the bus and on to the road during the journey. Sometimes the baggage or its contents would be stolen en-route. Many times, the bags would get wet and so also the contents. Some of the cases decided by consumer courts in fact give an insight into the problems faced by people. In the case of Prabhat Nalini Devi vs Rashmi Travels, for example, the passenger lost her baggage loaded on to the top of the bus and with it, her expensive saris and even gold jewellery. In fact on the ground that the suitcase contained jewellery, she had kept it in the bus, right next to her seat. But the conductor would not allow it and had insisted on her suitcase being put on the roof of the bus. When she reached her destination, she found, much to her dismay, that the bag was missing. When the transport company did not compensate her for the loss, she had to file a case before the court and force the road transport company to pay. Today, there is a slight change in the scenario. Many of the buses plying on long distance routes have a spacious luggage compartment at the back of the bus or on the side of the bus. But here, too, in the absence of a foolproof system of management of baggage, complaints of baggage loss are many. One complaint is that the baggage compartment is not properly locked. In the case of Divisional Controller, KSRTC, Mysore, VS Ramesh Reddy, for example, he lost a bag containing purchases worth nearly Rs 4,000 kept in the luggage compartment of the bus. His allegation was that the door of the storage cabin was not properly locked and, in fact, when the bus stopped for coffee, he even found it open. Since the transport company refused to compensate him for the loss, he, too, had to eventually file a case before the court to recover his losses. Fortunately for consumers, in cases such as these, they can get justice through courts. But why should such accidents or thefts happen in the first place? Why can’t bus operators ensure the safety of passengers’ baggage? It does not take much effort to do that, provided, of course, the transport companies put their mind to it. In fact a proper system of carrying passenger baggage will help transport companies, too, as that will eliminate complaints of baggage loss. In North America, for example, I have seen transport companies printing, along with the passenger ticket, a tag for the baggage, containing details such as the name of the passenger, his or her address, ticket number, date of travel and the final destination. Baggage beyond a certain weight is charged or else, it is free. At the time of passenger embarkation, the bag with the tag is loaded into the luggage compartment and properly locked. When the passenger gets off the bus, he or she is handed the baggage. We need to follow a similar system. This prevents passengers picking up the wrong baggage or even theft because (a) there is proper labelling of the bag; and (b) the conductor can hand over the bag at the end of the journey after cross-checking the ticket number. Such tagging of the baggage is simple and prevents harassment to the people. In smaller towns and villages, even today buses do not have a baggage cabin, and the luggage is put on the roof of the bus. If you have an option, you can refuse to travel by such buses. But if you do not, at least register your protest and write to the Transport Department so that eventually there will be some improvement. Where the luggage is loaded on to the roof, insist on a waterproof cover and a baggage ticket. If you are carrying valuables such as cash, jewellery and expensive electronic items like camera, keep them in a small bag and keep the bag with you.
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