<p>The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) and other organisations have urged the government to earmark a large budgetary sum to make bus travel free for women, students, senior citizens and the transgender community.</p>.<p>They also want the hiring freeze at BMTC to end and for the bus fleet to get bigger by 3,000 buses.</p>.<p>Activists at a press conference called for a free bus travel scheme to be implemented in the state, similar to Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>This would not only provide financial assistance, but also increase accessibility, since lack of last-mile buses has made people rely on the expensive option of hiring auto-rickshaws.</p>.<p>“Bus travel is still unaffordable for many in the city,” said BBPV’s Shaheen Shamsa.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/bmtc-transfers-18-officials-1187993.html" target="_blank">BMTC transfers 18 officials</a></strong></p>.<p>“We have been demanding reduced fares for nearly 10 years since we began this campaign, but there has not been a positive response yet,” she said.</p>.<p>Shaheen urged authorities not to look at public transport within the profit-loss binary.</p>.<p>Mamatha from Naveddu Nilladiddare highlighted how the lack of bus connectivity in the city adversely affects many women and students’ access to work and education.</p>.<p>Activists also urged the BMTC to recruit an additional 1,000 staff and increase their fleet from the current 6,500 buses (5,600 operating on the roads) to a minimum of 9,500 within the next three years.</p>.<p>Their petition on Jhatkaa.org (https://fundbmtc.carrd.co) has garnered about 600 online signatures and close to 400 offline signatures so far.</p>
<p>The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) and other organisations have urged the government to earmark a large budgetary sum to make bus travel free for women, students, senior citizens and the transgender community.</p>.<p>They also want the hiring freeze at BMTC to end and for the bus fleet to get bigger by 3,000 buses.</p>.<p>Activists at a press conference called for a free bus travel scheme to be implemented in the state, similar to Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>This would not only provide financial assistance, but also increase accessibility, since lack of last-mile buses has made people rely on the expensive option of hiring auto-rickshaws.</p>.<p>“Bus travel is still unaffordable for many in the city,” said BBPV’s Shaheen Shamsa.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/bmtc-transfers-18-officials-1187993.html" target="_blank">BMTC transfers 18 officials</a></strong></p>.<p>“We have been demanding reduced fares for nearly 10 years since we began this campaign, but there has not been a positive response yet,” she said.</p>.<p>Shaheen urged authorities not to look at public transport within the profit-loss binary.</p>.<p>Mamatha from Naveddu Nilladiddare highlighted how the lack of bus connectivity in the city adversely affects many women and students’ access to work and education.</p>.<p>Activists also urged the BMTC to recruit an additional 1,000 staff and increase their fleet from the current 6,500 buses (5,600 operating on the roads) to a minimum of 9,500 within the next three years.</p>.<p>Their petition on Jhatkaa.org (https://fundbmtc.carrd.co) has garnered about 600 online signatures and close to 400 offline signatures so far.</p>
