Monday, September 15, 2008

No Reservation in BMTC...

If you're in Bangalore and you have travelled in BMTC, you would have guessed what I'm talking about. Yes. Its the reservation they try in the city buses. If you're a regular traveller as me(also, arrogant), you would have seriously quarelled with atleast 10 people by now.

Here is one such conversation:

(After boarding a bus in a heavily crowded bus terminus, you see a seat just three steps from the door. You run towards it to find a person reserving it for his friend, I just go there and sit.)

He: Bhaisaab! Hamaara friend bus 5 minite me aayega! idhar hee gaya he!
Me: Idhar reservation, giservation nahi chalta he! Sideg hogayyo!
He: Abe ye kya mazaak he kya? Mera friend aayega! Woh bolega?
Me: Kya badnekaayi bolega? Usko aane de! Mai baat karoonga! (Ellellindano bandbidthaare! Namge aawaaz haakthaare, thagad nann makklu)
He: (Grumbles... and sits shuttin everything)

These are things you usually see in either Majestic or Market. This is pretty common. People who try to reserve are majorly from North India. I dunno whether its a custom over there. I see lot many people doing that.

Not that others wont but comparitively less.

Among those, few will quietly leave space for the person entering. Few will quarrel a bit, and if the second party is strong enough, shuts his mouth as in the afore mentioned conversation. Few like whom I mention now, will just keep their bags on the seat and quarrel as if its their inherent property. Here was the conversation what happened when I was carrying two hefty bags from K.R. Market while a marawadi family had placed a plastic bag on both the seats and had gone to have tea nearby, keeping an eye on their baggage through the window. I just went to the bus to find only that seat vacant, kept the bag of window seat beside and sat. By this time, one among those idiotic marwadi who had spent his considerable amount of life here came and started swearing right near the window.

Marwadi: Abe tu saale! Kya diktha nahi? waha par bag rakha tha!
Sandesh: Illi reservation illa! muchkond hogu!
M: Kya bak raha hai? dikta nahi kya? waha par bag rakha hua tha!
S: Kannada baralva nimge?
M: Saale kya Kannad, vannad bol rahe ho?
S: T#!k@ muchkond hogolo B*w@r$!! Ellellindo band ninge isht gaanchali irbekandre ille huttiro nangesht irbeda!
[Not that he was not able to understand me, he continued speaking in Hindi]
H: Saale! Ab tum bahar niklega ya nahi?
S: Naan yaako horg hogli? kiththogiro nann makkla neeve horg hogi saayri!
[Enter a female inside the bus and she asked me to get up, I denied, after which she called her husband, who is not the first marwadi and even he had the same attitude]
M2: Abe humne reserve kiya tha! Aap utiye! [ A Bit sober ]
S: Naan yaakri elli? Bekaadre conductor na keli.
[M2 starts speaking in Kannada]
M2: Nodi saar! Namdu illi ondh bag iththu. Naavu illi nimgintha munchene bandbittiddvi.
S: Haag helakk hodre naanu ee bussalli ninne ne koothidde! Adakken heltheera?
M2: Sumne eli saar!
S: Eega hogtheero? Illa conductor na kareebeko?
[He knew that it was his fault, meanwhile M1 continued cursing from below, I didnt budge. After the humiliation, M2 and his wife started getting down and went down, with their luggage.]

After 5 minutes, bus started moving. M1 took this as opportunity to curse with his whole heart and started cursing! While I reverted back with Kannada counterparts! The bus moved and that was the end of the story. You might not like me being so rude but one should be for such idiots. I simply can't help it.

These are one such people who will never change their attitude. One big whole bunch of idiots.

All I gotta say to those who reserve is :

If you want your friend/relative/whoever it is and you've boarded a seat in the bus, instead of reserving one more seat, leave your seat to them and you better stand.

Say what?

Have you come across any such situations? Let me know! What do you feel abt reservation in BMTC or any other metropolitan transport service? Post your thoughts. I know travelling in such systems, you should have atleast one such case!

17 comments:

Navaneethan Santhanam said...

I think that for short trips, people shouldn't be allowed to reserve seats - on intra-city trips that is. However, my experience in Chennai has been that no one has tried reserving seats. In any case, I'm used to standing, and don't really argue for a seat. If there's one easily available, I'll take it, but otherwise, whatever, not a big deal.

I was in Gokarna last month, and when I got off the bus at Kumta I found that people were dropping their bags into the bus through the window to reserve seats - I didn't particularly like it, seemed like a cheap thing to do. But then again, it's a long ride to the next stop, so it's not as unjustified.

That brings me to my next point - on inter-city buses (like the KSRTC ones), reserving seats is not so bad. My friend and I were taking the bus back from Kumta to Mangalore, and it's a 6 hour ride. Before the bus started from Kumta, I had her hold on to one additional seat for me so that I could visit the toilet. Had she not done that, I would have had to stand for at least a few hours, which isn't too pleasant. So, correctly or not, I justified that reservation of seats.

Unknown said...

Yeah! Even I support the point that reservations shouldnt be allowed in Intra City buses. I dunno about Chennai so I can't comment on that.

Its not that I'm desperate on getting a seat. Its that I want them to understand that there isnt any reservation system right here, so that they wont try doing that later. [Hope so]

Gokarna to Kumta isnt that long. Reservations is not necessary. Its not a metropolitan or a cosmopolitan city. That can be adjusted coz there wouldnt be any traffic and you dont need to wait more than half an hour to reach your destination.

There is reservation in KSRTC, you can always book seats in KSRTC and there is no one to deny your seat like I do in BMTC, If you lend your seat, its purely based on courtesy [female or an elderly passenger]. If it is someone else, you can ask them to stand as you've reserved through KSRTC.

Shrinidhi Hande said...

This practice is found all over- Even in IT companies employees reserve seats in company buses for their friends...

Prashanth said...

sakkath kushi aguthe nimma blog nodi.
evrige kannada bandru math adolla...aadre ella karnatakadde beku maklige...
Way to go...

Again,I do support that intra city buses nalli seat reserve madodu sari alla.Unless there is some serious prblm standing.

Unknown said...

@ Shrinidhi - Never travelled in IT company buses though have seen some of Infosys and TCS buses from ITPL and Electroic City. They are pretty vacant.

I dont know about reservations inside.

@ Prashanth - Thanks for those comments. Nimm abhipraaya thilsiddakke dhanyavaadagalu. Nimge khushi aagiddu keli santosha aaythu, Nimm blog anna ellaru nodakke bittre naavu nodi aananda padabahudu haagu comment hodeebahudu. =)

Prashanth said...

Nanna blog @ http://xplain.wordpress.com/ .Thumba dina vaaithu update maadi :)..baddi magandu time sigolla annuthe :)

Des said...

Pretty funny. A long time since I travelled in BTS (BMTC). How much does it cost from Koramangala 1st Block to Majestic these days? In my days it was Rs.1.25 or 2 I think.

Unknown said...

@ Prashanth - Ha! link kottiddakke dhanyavaadagalu. Noddhe! aadasht bega comment hodeetheeni.

@ Des - It should be 10 - 12 i guess. What time are you talking abt? 1999-2000???

Des said...

1994...I am old :(

Des said...

Also, just out of curiosity, is there a reason you prefer the bus to a car or bike as most people do?

Sandesh said...

@ Des - Oh! good! you dont need to type the sad emoticon along with 1994, everybody gets old everyday!

Also, I prefer anything, i travel more in bus coz thats really an awesome experience to meet people with different mindsets... You really see a lot o 'em around...

yogeshwara said...

I read this joke the other day. The scenario is same what u portrayed. One guy boards a bus sees a vacant seat. But the guy next to him says i kept my hankie and my friend is sitting. The other guy retorted and told "Keep your hankie on Taj Mahal. It would be reserved for you." :)

Unknown said...

Hehehe! Good one!!!

PC said...

dont say tht northies doo it ... :)
i am not northie....

southies too doo that check out the busses tht go to hebbal from silk board.

Unknown said...

@ PC - I am not particular abt northies but my experience says that its them who do that. Specially biharis.

FYKI, board any 500D (Hebbal - Silkboard) during 7:30 to 10, you'll find many northies reserving seats. I have seen them with my own eyes everyday for two years.

Guess you're confused among northies n southies... heh!

Unknown said...

ha ha! good one! some people really act like they bought a reserved ticket like in ksrtc or a train :D :D
thankfully I havent had any such arguments so far..!

Unknown said...

@Dheeraj Rao - hehe! Some act as if its their inherent property. cant help it. =)

happy to know that you didnt have any such arguments.

Thanks for the comments. keep visiting. =)