'20 men paying for entire bus, is that fair': Bengaluru man's viral post raises questions on freebies

Amid debates on whether political parties should continue offering freebies or not, a Bengaluru man raised questions on Siddaramaiah government's free bus service for women in the state.

In the post on X, which has gone viral, the man named Kiran Kumar, who was traveling in a bus to Mysuru from Bengaluru, questioned the fairness of the Karnataka government's Shakti scheme which offers free bus ride to women in the state.

The scheme was one of the poll guarantees that the Congress had made before the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka, and was implemented soon after it came to power in the state.

"I took an early morning bus to Mysuru, from Bengaluru. Rs 210 fare. Comfortable KSRTC bus and a world class highway for fast travel," the post started.

The man then went on to make six points asking if it is fair to offer free bus ride to women, irrespective of their financial capabilities.

"Nearly 30 of the 50 passengers were women. Just show Aadhar and travel free. Is this fair? Is it equality? 20 men are paying for the entire bus. Is that fair?" he asked.

"Saw an old man struggling to find notes to pay, while a well off young woman on video call next to him, travels free. Is that fair?" Kumar said.

The man opined that the state should make bus service free for all, irrespective of gender, if it has surplus income.

"If the state is having so much surplus income, why not make it free for these 20 men also? Universal free bus service like airport shuttle service. All over the world, subsidy and welfare is given to those who can't afford. Here, we have women from two rich cities like Bengaluru and Mysuru, traveling free just because it is available. Is it sustainable?" the post read.

"Couldn't the same freebie money be used for garbage clearance, pothole fixing in cities, providing water to farmers?" he added.

"Many more thoughts. But realized that we have entered the vicious cycle of freebies for votes. Tough to get out of it in the near future," the post ends.

The post received mixed reaction with many agreeing with him, while some others disagreed highlighting the challenges involved in making such policies successful.

"Very apt assessment, despite knowing this (assuming they do) our politicians make these promises and drive the society into a deep mess for, greed of immediate power!" commented a user on the post.

"We have so much diversity that any rule can't be fair to all at any point in time. Nothing stops women who are capable to pay, but to set up a complex system to decide who should pay and who shouldn’t will not work. There is still so much disparity in workforce," said another.