BENGALURU: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday announced a reduction in fares by only Rs1 for BMTC buses and from Rs 1 to Rs 11 for KSRTC buses. The new fares will come into effect from Friday midnight.
Reddy told reporters, “I had promised that the fares would be reduced from January 1, but it took time... The fares cannot be reduced further as our transport corporations have incurred losses. However, we will discuss the issue again after March and see if the fares can be reduced further. This fare reduction is not applicable to air-conditioned and luxury buses,” he said. The cut in bus fares is in response to the reduction in diesel prices. The price of diesel has fallen by Rs 8.98 in the period from October 14 to now.
BJP and various organisations have been demanding a reduction in bus fares ever since the prices of diesel had come down.
Asked why the fare was cut only marginally, Reddy said, “There are various expenditures that the transport corporations have to incur. For instance, even the bus shelters are set up by the corporations. But in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the governments ensure that all the infrastructure that is needed is made available. I have apprised the chief minister of this problem and requested him to ensure that the government plays a stronger role.”
He said after Congress came to power in the state, the liabilities of the four corporations (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation) have lessened.
“In April 2013, the total liabilities of all the corporations stood at around `793 crore. This has now been brought down to around Rs 550 crore. Generally, the first three months of the year witness hardly any profits. We have projected a loss of `47.27 crore for KSRTC and `49.48 crore for BMTC buses from January to March 2015. I have told the chief minister that if the corporations were to receive 50 per cent of the concessions offered to school children/elderly/handicapped, we will reach a no profit-no loss situation,” he added.