'Faulty move, need better frequency & quality': Passengers on bus fare hike in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The 15 per cent bus fare hike in Karnataka has triggered outrage from daily bus users as well as citizen activists. 

While daily bus users blame increased travel expenses, citizen activists call it a “faulty move” and say that sourcing revenue for public transport from the general public is not a feasible solution to improving the mobility infrastructure. 

With the Shakti scheme in place, Karnataka-domiciled women do not bear the brunt of this hike. However, men from the state as well as migrants from other states will be affected as they will have to pay extra while being unaware of possible improvements in the services. 

For Jenifer D, from Tamil Nadu, BMTC buses are the convenient option to travel from her place near St John’s Hospital to KH Road, where she works. 

“I have noticed that the buses are almost always crowded, and especially during the peak hours, you can’t expect a seat. I wouldn’t want to pay extra just to stand on an already crowded bus. They should at least increase the frequency of buses, so that passengers can sit down for the money they are paying,” she said, adding that it will be worse for labourers and migrant workers who do strenuous jobs. 

Gopinath D, who travels daily from Varthur to Hope Farm, which costs him Rs 20, says, “The 15 per cent hike will make one to always carry the change. In some buses, UPI is not allowed. Without digital transactions, it is going to be too cumbersome when there’s no change.” He added that with the fare hike, he would like the infrastructure of buses to improve. 

“The public announcement system, for instance, is incorrect on most buses. The announcement of stops is wrongly done. These basic things should improve if extra money is taken from the citizens,” he said. 

Speaking about the impact of the move, Shaheen Shasa of the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike noted that sourcing revenue from the bus commuters is not the solution to improve public transport. 

“This is a faulty move as sourcing funds for public transport should not come from its users. It is a citizen’s right to have public transport. With a huge influx of traffic in Bengaluru and the pollution associated with it, we need more and more people to use public transport. But increasing the fares is only going to make it worse for the majority of bus users,” she said. 

Several bus users said that with the increase in fares, bus frequency should also increase.