The Big Delhi Bus Scam

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The Big Delhi Bus Scam: Fake Fines, Bribes, and Resold Tickets

Delhi’s buses are the lifeline of the city, carrying millions of passengers every day. But behind the scenes, a massive corruption racket is happening, where both passengers and the government are being cheated.

I personally experienced this scam twice, and each time, I saw new shocking ways in which conductors, ticket checkers, and even some DTC employees were involved in making black money.

This article reveals everything you need to know about how these scams work, how much money is being stolen, and what you can do to avoid falling into this trap.



First Encounter: Caught Without a Ticket and Negotiating a Bribe

One day, I was traveling on a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus without a ticket. I thought I would be fine, but suddenly, a group of ticket checkers (TTEs) stopped the bus and began checking tickets.

Since I had no ticket, they told me:

  • The official fine for traveling without a ticket is ₹200 per person.
  • But then, they offered a deal – I could pay just ₹50 and they wouldn’t issue a challan.
  • This made me suspicious. If this was a legal fine, why were they ready to reduce the amount?

At first, I refused to negotiate and asked for a real receipt. That’s when I discovered the fake challan scam.

Fake vs. Real Challans: How They Scam Passengers

The ticket checker handed me a small-sized challan that looked like it was photocopied multiple times. I asked him if this was real, and he showed me another larger A4-sized challan that looked more official.

Here’s what I discovered:

  1. They never issue the real challan unless someone insists.
  2. The small fake challans are printed on a single A4 sheet with four challans per page.
  3. They reuse the same fake challans by giving them to multiple people.
  4. The money passengers pay never reaches the government—it goes straight into their pockets.
  5. When passengers ask for a real challan, they try to scare them by saying their names will be recorded and they might face legal trouble.

I realized that most people get scared and just pay the bribe instead of insisting on a real receipt. This allows the ticket checkers to make thousands of rupees daily through illegal fines.

Second Encounter: Reaching Near the Police Station Gate

The second time I was caught without a ticket, something interesting happened.

This time, the ticket checker took me and a few others near a police station gate.

  • I thought they would report us to the police for not having a ticket.
  • But instead of going inside, they stopped just outside the gate.
  • They told us again that the fine was ₹200, but we could pay ₹50 instead and leave.
  • It seemed like they wanted to use the police station as a scare tactic to make passengers pay quickly.

At that moment, I realized that this was not about enforcing the law—it was just a trick to make passengers feel pressured and hand over money.

Instead of taking the case inside the police station, they simply collected the bribes outside and let people go.

This made it clear that the entire system is built on fear and corruption.

How Conductors Make Extra Money by Reselling Tickets

While ticket checkers are busy scamming passengers with fake fines, bus conductors have their own way of making illegal money.

Here’s how they resell tickets:

  1. A passenger buys a ₹15 ticket from the conductor.
  2. When they reach their destination and get off the bus, there is no ticket checker they told passenger to give back ticket.
  3. Instead of throwing away the used ticket, the conductor keeps it.
  4. A new passenger boards the bus, and the conductor resells the same ₹15 ticket to them.
  5. The new passenger pays full price, not knowing the ticket is already used.

How Much Extra Money Do They Make?

  • If a conductor resells just 10 tickets per trip, that’s ₹150 extra per trip in black money.
  • If they do 10 trips a day, that’s ₹1,500 extra per day from just one bus.
  • If hundreds of buses are doing this, the amount of stolen money is in lakhs per day.


Why Is This Scam So Successful?

The main reason these scams continue is because of fear and corruption:

  1. Passengers are scared of getting into legal trouble, so they pay the bribe instead of asking for a real challan.
  2. Most passengers don’t check the authenticity of the receipts they get.
  3. Even if someone complains, many DTC employees ignore it because they are also involved.
  4. The police station is used as a scare tactic, but the cases never actually reach inside.

This means that even honest officers find it difficult to take action, because the corruption is so deep inside the system.

What Should You Do If You Get Caught Without a Ticket?

If you ever find yourself in this situation, follow these steps:

  1. Ask for a real challan. Do not accept the small, fake receipts.
  2. Check the DTC website to see how fines should be paid.
  3. Refuse to pay a bribe. If you pay a bribe, you support corruption.
  4. If possible, take a photo or video of the fake receipts and share it on social media.
  5. Always buy a ticket before your journey to avoid getting into this situation.


Final Thoughts: Corruption at Every Level

From ticket checkers taking bribes to conductors reselling tickets, corruption is everywhere in the Delhi bus system. Even the police station is used as a pressure tool to scare passengers into paying.

This is why scams like this continue for years without punishment.

The only way to stop this corruption is for passengers to:

  • Refuse to pay bribes.
  • Demand real challans.
  • Report incidents on social media.
  • Educate others about this scam.

If people start questioning these fake fines instead of paying silently, the scam will collapse because they will no longer be able to collect easy money.

Have you ever experienced a similar situation? Share your thoughts in the comments!


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