Bengaluru driver suspended after asking Karnataka Minister Byrathi Suresh to get off bus

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jul 14, 2026 11:05 AM IST

BMTC said that when Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh informed him he did not have the required change, Ramakrishna behaved rudely and discourteously.(Screengrabs enhanced using AI)

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) suspended the driver-conductor of a bus Monday after he ordered Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh to get off for failing to provide the exact fare.

BTMC took action against Ramakrishna T G after an inquiry into the incident last Saturday, when Suresh boarded a bus from the Hebbal bus stand on route 279E, Kempegowda Bus Station to Nagashettihalli. Suresh handed over Rs 100 to Ramakrishna, requesting two tickets to Bhoopasandra, and told him he did not have change. Ramakrishna asked him to pay Rs 12 for the ticket or get off the bus.

BMTC said it implemented the UPI-based ticket payment system in 2024, and at present, nearly 53 per cent of the corporation’s total ticket revenue is being collected through UPI transactions. “It has been viewed seriously that the driver-cum-conductor failed to inform the passenger, particularly the minister, about the availability of this facility,” BMTC said.

BMTC said that when Suresh informed him he did not have the required change, Ramakrishna behaved rudely and discourteously.

Suresh conducted a surprise check by posing as a passenger last Saturday. The minister travelled incognito for two hours across several major areas of Bengaluru, including Jayamahal, TV Tower, RT Nagar, CBI Road, Hebbal, Manyata Tech Park, Nagawara, Hennur, Hennur Bande, Byrathi Bande, and Geddalahalli, to assess actual road operations and crew behaviour.

Suresh also observed, while monitoring another BMTC bus, that it did not stop near Fun World on Jayamahal Road after a passenger flagged it down. He then ordered the suspension of the driver and conductor.

However, the inquiry revealed that there was no bus stop at the spot. From Monday, BMTC designated a new bus stop near Fun World.