BMTC bus station in Bengaluru
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Operations of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) were mildly affected on Thursday morning as electric bus drivers staged a protest at Depot 16 in Deepanjali Nagar over non-payment of the Deepavali bonus.
Driver deployment for the BMTC’s electric buses is handled by the manufacturer, Tata Motors, on a contract basis. "It was a petty issue, as the drivers were unhappy about not receiving the Deepavali bonus. However, the protest impacted our operations, and the manufacturers have been given a strict warning to ensure this is not repeated,” a senior BMTC official told DH.
About 120 bus schedules operate out of the depot daily, and around 50 drivers took part in the protest.
Similar demonstrations were reported earlier this week at the Yeshwantpur and Jayanagar depots.