Private Transporters Call For Bengaluru Bandh, Blame Congress' Shakti Scheme — More Details

On 11 September 2023, a 'Bengaluru bandh' is being planned by private transport owners in Bengaluru.

The reason being — Congress' 'Shakti' scheme which was launched a few weeks ago with the new government coming into power. Shakti scheme offers free of cost travel for women across Karnataka.

As a result, this has incurred huge losses to the private transport operators in cities like Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Udupi who had been dependent on their fleet of buses for their survival.

According to a Moneycontrol report, more than 32 transport unions have been impacted as a result of the scheme.

The unions have sought a ban on bike taxis and a financial aid of Rs 10,000 for each driver. Their demands even include a complete ban on app-based aggregators, a corporation to support unorganised commercial drivers and scholarships for their children, to name a few.

While 'bandhs' were quite frequent a few years ago, they have stopped receiving any popular support from the common public of late. State transport minister Ramalinga Reddy had met a few representatives and had asked them to call off the strike which was planned on 27 July.

This time around, the strike has been announced yet again because their demands have not been met.

Under the Shakti scheme, women can travel for free in non-premium services of state road transport corporations.

Ever since the scheme rolled out, there has been a sharp increase in footfall of women passengers.

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) recorded an increase in the daily ridership of women in public buses from 27 lakh in May 2023 to nearly 40 lakh in June 2023.

Several reports have suggested the immediate need for BMTC to increase its number of fleets in Bengaluru to accommodate the rising demand.

Karnataka’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan had a proposal to increase the fleet to 13,000 buses by 2025, but at the moment, the current fleets’ strength stands at 6,688 (of which 5,557 are operational).

This is less than half of what BMTC’s fleet size must have ideally been. Given Bengaluru’s population, experts estimate that the city requires anywhere between 14,000 - 15,000 buses to meet the demand. 

Also read: Free Bus Ride For Women: How Karnataka Government's 'Shakti' Scheme Is Working On The Ground