17. Qualifications, duties, functions and conduct of conductor.
(1)No person shall be granted a conductor's licence unless he satisfies the licencing authority that:(i)he has adequate knowledge of the provisions of the Act and the rules made there under relating to the duties and functions of a conductor;(ii)he possesses a good moral character;(iii)he possesses a valid Adult First-Aid Certificate issued by the St. John Ambulance Association of India;(iv)he possesses working knowledge of Hindi language; and(v)he is not below 18 years of age.(2)The licencing authority may decline to issue/renew a conductor's licence if it is satisfied that:(i)the applicant's knowledge of the provisions of the Act and of these rules and of the duties and powers of a conductor thereunder is inadequate to enable him to perform the duties of a conductor; or(ii)the applicant was, at any time, the holder of a conductor's or a driving licence which has been cancelled for misconduct; or(iii)the character or physique of the applicant is such as to render him an unsuitable person to hold a conductor's licence;(3)The licencing authority may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, suspend of cancel a conductor's licence by itself or any countersignature granted in accordance with this rule.(4)Any court by which a conductor is convicted of any offence in connection with his duty as a conductor may cancel the conductor's licence.(5)A conductor of a stage carriage shall on demand by the police officer in uniform not below the rank of Sub Inspector produce his conductor's licence for inspection.(6)Duties and functions of conductors:(i)a conductor shall be jointly responsible with the driver in the performance their duties and functions as given in Rule 11.(ii)in addition to the aforesaid a conductor shall perform to following function namely:(a)announce the name of each halting place, bus stand or bus station or is stopping by request just before the vehicle is about to stop;(b)ensure, before giving signal to the driver to start the vehicle, that the alighting persons have got down and the intending passengers have got into the vehicle;(c)issue ticket immediately on payment of the legal fare or freight;(d)at the conclusion of the journey, make reasonable search in the vehicle for any thing left behind by any passenger and shall take into his custody anything so found and further deal with it as given in Rule 70 under the heading "Lost Property"; and(e)take all reasonable precautions to prevent luggage, which may be carried on the roof of the vehicle, being miscarried, or lost on the way or drenched in the rain.
