Members of Citizens of Bengaluru (CfB) and Bus Prayanikara Vedike who took out the #BusBhagyaBeku campaign at BMTC’s Kempegowda (Majestic) bus terminus demanding low fares and more buses were asked to pack up by the police.
Police told the volunteers to put away their banners minutes after the campaign started. “Such events cannot be held without necessary permissions,” police said.
Around 15 volunteers of the forum held banners and distributed pamphlets with a message to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah: “We demand budget allocation to the BMTC so that bus fares can be halved and the number of buses can be doubled. #BusBhagyaBeku.”
Srinivas Alavilli of CfB said across the world, public transport systems are supported by governments. “Here, the BMTC has been forced to fend for itself, leading to high fares. The government should add 6,000 buses to the BMTC fleet to make it a reliable mode of transportation,” he said.
The pamphlet compared the bus fares in Bengaluru with those of Chennai, Pune, Kolkata and Mumbai. BMTC fares were higher than all others and equal to Mumbai’s.
“Over the last 15 years, bus fares have gone up by 10 times. We conducted surveys in Shivajinagar, Mysuru Road and Jayanagar and found out that people in the lower rung of the economic ladder can’t afford the fares. Garment workers, daily wagers and others walk five kilometres to save money,” Vinay Srinivas of Bus Prayanikara Vedike said.
