BENGALURU: Bengaluru Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Thursday hit back at former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai over criticism of Karnataka’s public transport system, rejecting calls to allow private buses and asserting that public transport is a social obligation rather than a commercial service.
The exchange followed a post by Pai accusing the government of failing to ensure adequate public transport and alleging a shortage of buses over the past three years.
Pai argued that the State should permit private operators to provide services, stating that citizens need reliable public transport regardless of who operates it.
Responding sharply, Reddy invited Pai to engage in a face-to-face debate with the BMTC Managing Director, saying, “Our BMTC MD is enough to handle a face-to-face debate with you on any platform. Kindly come and discuss the facts with them directly. Are you ready to step up, or will you just keep tweeting?”
Calling Pai’s view “not just biased—it is fundamentally dogmatic,” the minister said Pai looked at public transport through a balance sheet, while the government viewed it as a service for 1.5 crore citizens.
Highlighting the Shakti scheme, Reddy said the State had crossed over 650 crore free bus trips for women, describing it as the largest mobility-led economic empowerment initiative in the country. He said the scheme had expanded access to employment, education and public spaces for women across Karnataka.
Explaining the operating model of State-run transport corporations, Reddy said around 30% of routes operate at a loss to ensure connectivity for students and citizens in remote villages, another 30% operate at break-even, while the remaining 40%—largely long-distance routes—generate profits that sustain the system. He added that 98% of villages in the State have bus connectivity.
Providing figures, the minister said Karnataka operates 26,054 buses, while BMTC alone serves nearly 45 lakh commuters daily in Bengaluru. The city fleet of 7,108 buses, including 1,686 electric buses, covers over 13 lakh km and operates about 66,000 trips every day, making it one of the largest urban bus operations in the country.
Reddy also questioned Pai’s silence during the previous BJP government, noting that bus inductions were frozen between 2019 and 2023. In contrast, he said, over 5,800 new buses had been inducted in the last two years, with another 2,000 expected by March 2026.“Private operators shut down the moment profits dip. A private monopoly would be a crushing burden on the poor,” Reddy said, adding, "Public transport is a right, not a luxury. Our Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are here to stay, to serve, and to lead Karnataka.”