Bangalore University on Monday decided to discontinue the dedicated transport facility to staff and students from the next academic year onwards.
The decision, taken at a Syndicate meeting, has been attributed to the financial strain of running buses to various parts of the city.
Vice-chancellor Dr B Thimme Gowda told reporters, “We requested the Transport Department to take peak hour service (PHS) buses to Jnana Bharathi campus. But, they said they would not extend services as PHS buses already operate to JB campus.”
The University has taken 18 buses from BMTC on lease to transport more than 1,400 commuters (students and staff). Recently, following the hike in fuel prices, BMTC had increased the rent on buses. The new rates forced the University to shell out nearly `15 lakh per annum on renting the buses alone. From next January, the University will cut the number of trips from the current fleet of 18 to 11.
By discontinuing the service, BU is expected to save nearly `10 lakh per month in costs. “The annual expenditure on transportation is around `1 crore and it has become a big burden,” Thimme Gowda added.
Meanwhile, in order to compensate for the winding down and closure of the transport service, the University has decided to provide feeder services from Mysore Road and Nagarabhavi Circle to JB campus.