Bengaluru: Hundreds of people gathered at Shantinagar Bus Station on Saturday morning in support of the #BusBhagyaBeku campaign by Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) and Bengaluru Bus Prayanakara Vedike, which aims to convey to the State government the need for a more robust fleet of buses with lower fares.
Several area-based civic activist groups such as Whitefield Rising, K.R. Puram Rising, Citizens’ Action Forum, and Bangalore Residents’ Association Confederation Ensemble participated.
The volunteers and commuters reached major bus stations including Koramangala, Jayanagar, Shivajinagar, Kempegowda Bus Station and Banashankari, and boarded buses towards Shantinagar. There, they formed a group, gathered opposite the bus station and started shouting slogans seeking more buses.
Besides increasing the number of buses, the campaigners also want BMTC fares, which are among the highest across all public transport undertakings in the country, to be reduced by half.
BMTC officials, who met the campaigners, said they have decided to reduce the fares for the (kilometre-based) second stage of travel from Rs 12 to Rs 10. However, the activists said this was not sufficient.
This year, the BMTC has requested the government for financial assistance to procure 3,000 buses. If this is approved, the fleet size will improve considerably, as 3040 more buses are scheduled to be added this financial year.
