MVA 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

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 · Chapter 13: OFFENCES, PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE

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.—(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 [liable for a penalty] 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 [liable for a penalty] which may extend to five hundred rupees.
(3) If the holder of a permit or the driver of a contract carriage [while being on duty] 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 [liable for a penalty] which may extend to fifty rupees; and
(b) in any other case, be [liable for a penalty] which may extend to [five hundred rupees].

Study: explanations and related material

Official reference: India Code, Government of India — edition as on 15 August 2026 — source review: 2 October 2026.Recorded edition / snapshot date: 2026-08-15.Banaka reference transcription, not an official or certified edition. General central text: regional amendment blocks are not consolidated. This edition includes Jan Vishwas 2026 changes effective 15 August 2026. Amendment brackets are retained; footnotes and superscript reference numerals are excluded. Consult the complete government PDF for schedules, amendment notes and authoritative wording. State rules and notifications may differ. Hindi guides are original explanations, not a statutory translation.Read the original schedule and amendment notes

This text is for reference, not legal advice. Consult the official source for the authoritative text.

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