Mumbai, May 30 -- The BEST Undertaking has been grappling with complaints from conductors regarding the paucity of loose change since bus fares were hiked on May 9. The shortage has forced conductors to issue more credit notes to passengers than earlier, pushing up the daily average of credit notes from Rs.700 to Rs.1,100, said sources. The problem is especially acute in airconditioned buses plying on short-distance ring routes, wherein the fare was hiked from Rs.6 to Rs.12, the sources added. "Earlier, when passengers on ring routes paid us Rs.10, we would have to return Rs.5 in case of non-AC buses and Rs.4 in case of AC buses," a BEST conductor told HT. "But after the hike in minimum fare to Rs.10 for non-AC buses and Rs.12 for AC buses, we must return Rs.8 or Rs.10, which is a major problem." BEST conductors are provided coins worth Rs.125 everyday for several years now, said BEST sources. But far more Rs.20 coins and notes are in circulation compared to Rs.10 coins and notes, which is compounding the problem, said BEST union members. As per standard practice, when conductors do not have loose change, they write the amount payable to passengers on the backside of their tickets. These 'credit notes' must be encashed at the BEST depot in Wadala and it is not possible to use them to pay for other bus journeys, said sources in BEST. According to figures from BEST, between May 1-8, BEST issued credit notes worth Rs.5,746. But from May 9, when fares were hiked, till May 20, credit notes worth Rs.12,621 were issued....