From Currency Woes to Cashless Visions: A Bus Journey Reflection

  This morning, I urgently needed to get to a place, so I boarded the 40H bus near my college to Egmore. When I opened my purse, I realized I only had a ₹200 note. It was early, with just a few passengers on the bus, and I wasn’t sure how the conductor would react. I handed him the ₹200 note, and he gave me a bewildered look. He opened his bag, revealing some coins, and said, “This is all I have. You expect change this early in the morning?” I offered to pay via GPay, but this seemed to upset him. He raised his voice and mocked me, saying, “He says he’ll GPay the fare.” His tone was sarcastic, and the other passengers began staring at me. It seemed as though the conductor was about to kick me off the bus.

Thankfully, a middle-aged woman sitting nearby intervened. She told the conductor she would pay the fare for me, and I felt instant relief. I thanked her, but she insisted that I didn’t need to pay her back.

After getting off the bus, another passenger approached me and said, “You’re right. We need a GPay system on the bus. It would make things easier for those carrying larger sums.” This got me thinking about how several countries have transitioned to cashless economies, fully embracing digital transactions. We have GPay facilities almost everywhere—in shops, institutions, and even some auto-rickshaws—so why not on buses? As we move towards a cashless economy, it’s clear that there are still areas where we lag behind.

I am deeply grateful to the woman who helped me, and I will ensure I carry appropriate change when traveling by bus in the future.