BENGALURU: Already weighed down by the rise in prices of fuel and other essential commodities, another shocker is in store for the people as the state government is set to take a decision on the proposed hike in bus fares in a week.
The state transport corporations have already submitted a report seeking 18% hike in KSRTC and BMTC bus fares. The government, which has been deferring the decision for the last two months, is now in no mood to delay it any further.
“I will discuss the issue with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and take a final decision in a week,” Transport Minister D C Thammanna said here on Tuesday. Terming a hike in bus fares as inevitable, Thammanna said the rise in diesel and petrol prices have been a daily affair since Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre. Both KSRTC and BMTC have incurred additional expenditure of `176 crore in the last three months due to rise in diesel price.
“The fare hike will be moderate. We will try to strike a balance to ensure that commuters are not heavily burdened and transport corporations do not suffer additional losses,” Thammanna said.As for the government’s promise to provide free bus passes to students, the minister said efforts are on to get financial assistance from the Social Welfare Department.
Karnataka govt to buy 40 sleeper coaches
With demand for sleeper coaches for long-distance travel seeing a big rise, the government has decided to purchase 40 new sleeper coaches. This will also help state road transport corporations take on the competition from private transport operators, the minister said.
Referring to haphazard parking of buses by private operators in Bengaluru city, Thammanna said the Transport department is contemplating to ask private operators to shift their operations to Basaveshwara Bus Terminus on Tumakuru Road. BMTC shuttle services will be operated for the convenience of commuters to reach the terminus.
He attributed the failure in regulating the operations of private transport operators to shortage of staff in the Transport Department and said action has been taken to fill vacant posts.