I-Day record ridership of 61 lakh a pointer for BMTC to slash bus fares: Activists

Though 5,051 buses were operated, they proved inadequate to fulfill the service demands on I-Day

The all-time high ridership of 61.47 lakh recorded by the BMTC on Independence Day, when bus services were made free, has renewed the demand for reduction of fares of city buses to encourage more commuters to shift from private vehicles to public transport.

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) experiment was part of an outreach to promote bus services as part of its silver jubilee celebration. The numbers broke the previous record of about 50 lakh ridership set in 2013.

The BMTC officials said they were surprised by the response as many routes saw people waiting for more than an hour to board buses. Though 5,051 buses were operated, they proved inadequate to fulfill the service demands.

Bus Prayanikara Vedike co Though 5,051 buses were operated, they proved inadequate to fulfill the service demands.ordinator Shaheen Shasa said it was high time for the government to make the BMTC services free for women and slash the fares by 50% for all others. “Seen from the perspective of pollution and traffic jams on one hand and sustainable development and empowerment of the downtrodden on the other, the larger social benefits easily outweigh the cost of making bus services free. We need more buses for Bengaluru,” she said.

On the takeaway from the overwhelming response, BMTC Managing Director G Sathyavathi said the details of the experiment need to be studied. “We wanted more people to try BMTC buses and we seem to have succeeded. What we can do from here onwards is something that needs to be studied. We have to take decisions by considering the financial condition of the corporation. We have become dependent on the government due to the pandemic. Even last week, the government has given Rs 420 crore for BMTC,” she said.

Shaheen said the government needs to quantify the benefits of the reduced private vehicle on the road and drop in air pollution levels. “Covid has affected people with job losses, which has reduced people’s power to purchase BMTC tickets or bus passes. Free bus services will help the government to bring lakhs of people to the mainstream,” she said.

Srinivas Alavilli, head of civic participation at Janaagraha, said the revenue-driven model needs to changed if the government seeks to promote public transportation.

“Cheaper fares, reliable bus services and faster commute will make buses more desirable. Some people need just one of these three options and some need all three,” he said.