BENGALURU: Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a passenger forum, has urged Karnataka government to withdraw the 15% bus fare hike and insisted that it explore other options such as levying congestion tax and parking fees to raise revenue.
They also urged that the State Government drop the idea of constructing big-ticket projects like tunnel roads and signal-free corridors and use the same money to strengthen the bus system. They demanded more buses, expanding bus services, creating exclusive bus lanes, and making travel by bus more affordable.
“The recent bus fare hike announced by Karnataka government is unfair and unjust. When the need of the hour is more buses and free public transport, the government is instead trying to discourage public transport by increasing bus fares. The fare hike will hit the working class hard. For the majority of the working class, the bus is their lifeline. It is unfair to penalise them for using public transport. We fear that those bus-users who own two-wheelers may move back to two-wheelers. Those bus users who are using premium services may also move back towards private vehicles,” BBPV stated in a press release on Sunday.
Mentioning that the government look at other ways to increase revenue as the increase in bus fare will make public transport more inaccessible, BBPV listed practical options to raise revenue for buses and public transport.
They suggested levying parking fees on all roads and levying congestion fee on private vehicle users, especially during peak hours. They also suggested instituting a traffic cess for private companies based on the extent of private transport use for office commutes by their employees.
“The State Government should stop all futile infrastructure projects like tunnel roads and flyovers as such projects have been proven to be ineffective in addressing traffic congestion. Solutions to Bengaluru’s traffic problems are bus priority lanes and more buses. Hence, we demand that the government fund more of these projects focused on prioritising bus-based public transport,” the forum added.