BELAGAVI: Admitting that there was a dearth of buses run by road transport corporations (RTCs), Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy assured that all the issues about bus services could be resolved by February next year as the government will procure 5,500 new buses and also recruit 9,000 staff, including conductors-cum-drivers and technicians.
During the Question Hour in the Council on Wednesday, Reddy said that when he remitted the office as the same minister in 2018, there were close to 24,000 buses with the RTCs and it has now come down to 23,000.
Also, 3,800 schedules were cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic, but their service has not resumed, he added/ In the wake of a huge jump in passenger numbers after the implementation of the Shakti Scheme, demand was growing for more buses and routes.
“So the government is procuring 5,500 buses which could be deployed for public use in the next couple of months,” he added.