Motor Vehicles Act Section 178 — Penalty for travelling without pass or ticket and for dereliction of duty on the part of conductor and refusal to ply contract carriage, etc
CHAPTER XIII OFFENCES, PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE
Civil
Summary
Sub-section (1) covers passengers in a stage carriage. A person who travels without a proper pass or ticket, or who, while in a stage carriage or after getting off one, fails or refuses to show or hand over their pass or ticket when asked to do so immediately, can be fined up to five hundred rupees. The explanation clarifies that the words pass and ticket carry the same meanings given to them in section 124 of this Act.
Sub-section (2) deals with the conductor of a stage carriage, or the driver acting as a conductor. If it is their duty to supply a ticket to a passenger who pays the fare, and they either wilfully or negligently fail or refuse to accept the fare when offered, fail or refuse to supply a ticket, supply an invalid ticket, or supply a ticket of lesser value, they can be fined up to five hundred rupees. Similarly, if it is their duty to check any pass or ticket and they wilfully or negligently fail or refuse to do so, they face the same fine of up to five hundred rupees.
Sub-section (3) addresses the holder of a permit or the driver of a contract carriage. If they refuse, in violation of this Act or its rules, to ply the contract carriage or to carry the passengers, the penalty depends on the vehicle type. For two-wheeled or three-wheeled motor vehicles, the fine can be up to fifty rupees. For any other type of vehicle, the fine can be up to five hundred rupees.
Official Text
(1) Whoever travels in a stage carriage without having a proper pass or ticket with him or being in or having alighted from a stage carriage fails or refuses to present for examination or to deliver up his pass or ticket immediately on a requisition being made therefor, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.
Explanation.—In this section, “pass” and “ticket” have the meanings respectively assigned to them in section 124.
(2) If the conductor of a stage carriage, or the driver of a stage carriage performing the functions of a conductor in such stage carriage, whose duty is—
(a) to supply a ticket to a person travelling in a stage carriage on payment of fare by such person, either wilfully or negligently,—
(i) fails or refuses to accept the fare when tendered; or
(ii) fails or refuses to supply a ticket; or
(iii) supplies an invalid ticket; or
(iv) supplies a ticket of a lesser value; or
(b) to check any pass or ticket, either wilfully or negligently fails or refuses to do so, he shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.
(3) If the holder of a permit or the driver of a contract carriage refuses, in contravention of the provisions of this Act or rules made thereunder, to ply the contract carriage or to carry the passengers, he shall,—
(a) in the case of two-wheeled or three-wheeled motor vehicles, be punishable with fine which may extend to fifty rupees; and
(b) in any other case, be punishable with fine which may extend to 1[five hundred rupees].