Covid pay cuts, job losses make BMTC bus rides costly: Study

The study made use of a survey of 558 bus users, including 243 women

Job losses and pay cuts in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic have made Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus rides costlier, with one-third of the respondents of a Greenpeace survey, stating that bus fares were expensive.

On Friday, Greenpeace released ‘Bustling through Bengaluru’, a report based on a survey of 558 bus users, including 243 women, who highlighted some of the gaps in the public transport system of the Karnataka capital.

While a fleet of 6,400 buses can hardly serve 1.4 crore population of the state, 88 per cent of the users said they preferred buses over other modes of transport, including metro, but were concerned about the increase in the cost of travel.

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“As many as 79 per cent of the respondents opined that the government should make city buses free for women and students. More than one-third said bus fares should be abolished for all,” the report said.

Among the common issues flagged by the passengers were long waiting periods for buses, safety and security, poor condition of almost all bus stops and lack of toilets for all genders. Nearly 40 per cent of women commuters said security was their major concern.

Based on the changes demanded by the respondents, Greenpeace recommended several measures. Among them were extending priority bus lanes to 10 other identified corridors, reduction of bus fares, making bus stops safe and inclusive, increasing frequency of buses to cut waiting time for passengers.

Noting that a previous study, which had estimated that air pollution has led to 12,000 premature deaths in Bengaluru, Greenpeace’s Avinash Chanchal said there was a need to increase the mode share of the buses from the existing 32 per cent to reduce emissions—they contribute to 60 per cent of Bengaluru’s pollution.