<p>Bengaluru: The government has proposed the procurement of 1,000 new diesel buses to improve the services of the State Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) in 2026–27. </p>.<p>This is in addition to the 2,000 buses announced in the previous budget, taking the total number of buses added over the last three years to 6,596 across transport corporations. </p>.<p>"These diesel buses will be distributed among the KSRTC, the KKRTC and the NWKRTC. We will allocate the buses adequately based on each corporation's requirements. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will get electric buses," Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy Told <span class="italic">DH</span>. </p>.<p>In addition, the KSRTC wil induct 1,500 new buses while implementing the Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System (VTMS). Two surveillance cameras each will be installed in 1,000 buses. </p>.<p>The budget also places significant emphasis on electric mobility. Under the Karnataka Electric Bus Programme, to be implemented with assistance from the World Bank at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore, the government plans to induct 4,000 e-buses. </p>.<p>To support the transition, 32 depots of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and 62 depots belonging to other RTCs will be upgraded to facilitate electric bus operations. </p>.<p>Additionally, the government will provide Rs 1,271 crore for the payment of salary arrears between January 2021 and February 2023 for employees of RTCs. </p>.<p>The 2026-27 budget estimate for KSRTC is Rs 225 crore, up from Rs 222 crore in 2025-26. The budget for NWKRTC has increased from Rs 142 crore in 2025-26 to Rs 144 crore in 2026-27, and for KKRTC from Rs 119 crore to Rs 120 crore. The BMTC has been allocated Rs 317.45 crore, compared to Rs 265.72 crore last year. </p>.<p>In January 2025, the government announced that it would act as a guarantor for a Rs 2,000 crore loan that the four RTCs would raise from financial institutions to clear provident fund and diesel dues. In this, the KSRTC will get Rs 623.8 crore, BMTC Rs 589.2 crore, NWKRTC Rs 646 crore and KKRTC Rs 141 crore. </p>.<p>In the 2026-27 budget, the government has allocated Rs 182 crore for KSRTC, BMTC Rs 239.97 crore, Rs 174 crore for NWKRTC, and Rs 41 crore for KKRTC. The BMTC has been given another Rs 250 crore for transportation assets. </p>.<p>Overall, road transport has been allocated a budget of Rs 7,224 crore, compared to 6,242 crore in 2025-26. Of the total budget, the Shakti scheme has been allocated Rs 5,300 crore, the same as the previous years. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">Revenue shortfall? </span></p>.<p>The Transport Department faces an uphill task of collecting Rs 3,370 crore in March to meet the year's revenue target of Rs 15,000 crore. It has collected Rs 11,630 crore up to February. The revenue target for 2026-27 is Rs 15,500 crore. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: The government has proposed the procurement of 1,000 new diesel buses to improve the services of the State Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) in 2026–27. </p>.<p>This is in addition to the 2,000 buses announced in the previous budget, taking the total number of buses added over the last three years to 6,596 across transport corporations. </p>.<p>"These diesel buses will be distributed among the KSRTC, the KKRTC and the NWKRTC. We will allocate the buses adequately based on each corporation's requirements. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will get electric buses," Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy Told <span class="italic">DH</span>. </p>.<p>In addition, the KSRTC wil induct 1,500 new buses while implementing the Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System (VTMS). Two surveillance cameras each will be installed in 1,000 buses. </p>.<p>The budget also places significant emphasis on electric mobility. Under the Karnataka Electric Bus Programme, to be implemented with assistance from the World Bank at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore, the government plans to induct 4,000 e-buses. </p>.<p>To support the transition, 32 depots of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and 62 depots belonging to other RTCs will be upgraded to facilitate electric bus operations. </p>.<p>Additionally, the government will provide Rs 1,271 crore for the payment of salary arrears between January 2021 and February 2023 for employees of RTCs. </p>.<p>The 2026-27 budget estimate for KSRTC is Rs 225 crore, up from Rs 222 crore in 2025-26. The budget for NWKRTC has increased from Rs 142 crore in 2025-26 to Rs 144 crore in 2026-27, and for KKRTC from Rs 119 crore to Rs 120 crore. The BMTC has been allocated Rs 317.45 crore, compared to Rs 265.72 crore last year. </p>.<p>In January 2025, the government announced that it would act as a guarantor for a Rs 2,000 crore loan that the four RTCs would raise from financial institutions to clear provident fund and diesel dues. In this, the KSRTC will get Rs 623.8 crore, BMTC Rs 589.2 crore, NWKRTC Rs 646 crore and KKRTC Rs 141 crore. </p>.<p>In the 2026-27 budget, the government has allocated Rs 182 crore for KSRTC, BMTC Rs 239.97 crore, Rs 174 crore for NWKRTC, and Rs 41 crore for KKRTC. The BMTC has been given another Rs 250 crore for transportation assets. </p>.<p>Overall, road transport has been allocated a budget of Rs 7,224 crore, compared to 6,242 crore in 2025-26. Of the total budget, the Shakti scheme has been allocated Rs 5,300 crore, the same as the previous years. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">Revenue shortfall? </span></p>.<p>The Transport Department faces an uphill task of collecting Rs 3,370 crore in March to meet the year's revenue target of Rs 15,000 crore. It has collected Rs 11,630 crore up to February. The revenue target for 2026-27 is Rs 15,500 crore. </p>