KSRTC to induct 805 Karnataka Sarige, local buses by June

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will induct 805 new Karnataka Sarige and city/rural transport buses by June this year. 

On Friday, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy flagged off 70 new Pallakki (non-AC sleeper) and 45 Sarige (non-AC seater) buses, expanding the KSRTC fleet to nearly 9,000, one of the largest in the country. 

The 45 new buses add to the KSRTC's existing fleet of 5,904 Sarige vehicles. 

The Pallakki buses will operate on routes connecting Udupi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Horanadu, Agumbe, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Chitradurga, Hampi, Raichur, Jamkhandi, Puttur, Kaniyoor, Kukke Subrahmanya, Kasaragod, Mantralaya, Tiruchirappalli, Kozhikode, Munnar, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Kottayam, Hyderabad, Chennai, Panaji, Madurai, Kumbakonam and Ernakulam, according to the KSRTC. 

The buses were flagged off at an event to celebrate International Women's Day. 

Speaking on the occasion, Reddy said Karnataka's four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) had approximately 1.04 lakh employees, of whom 8,956 are women. Among them are 3,167 conductors, 2,254 technical staff and 3,535 administrative staff. Since 2023, the KSRTC has appointed 77 women on compassionate grounds in various posts, he noted. 

Under the Shakti free bus travel scheme, a total of 688.83 crore rides have been provided as of March 12, he added.