A fourth of all KSRTC passengers are back

About 3,000 of 7,500 buses are operational, and the daily load is five lakh passengers as against the pre-pandemic 24 lakh

KSRTC resumed its operations a week ago and is ferrying 20-25 of its pre-pandemic passenger load.

The government-run corporation is allowed 50% of vehicle occupancy. KSRTC is currently operating 3,000 of 7,500 buses and covering about nine lakh km per day.

Inter-state buses are plying between Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. “We are still awaiting permission from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Before the lockdown, we were operating 450 buses to Tamil Nadu and 100 to Kerala. These routes remaining inoperative is a big loss,” he says.

However, KSRTC buses are operational in all districts of Karnataka. “We recently resumed services on the Bengaluru-Mysuru route,” he says. “Restrictions on timings in other states have made operations that much more difficult.” What about the passenger load? “Earlier, we had 22 to 24 lakh passengers a day but it is only five lakh now,” he says. The fares continue to remain the same (see box). “It is Re 1 per km. We don’t hike fares like the private players do. It is against our policy,” says the official. Like other businesses, KSRTC has also had to deal with huge losses since the pandemic broke out.

“The revenue shortfall due to the pandemic till March 2021 is Rs 1,684.99 crore. The employees’ strike last year hit us further with a loss of Rs 105 crore in about 15 days. The loss during the second wave till May has been Rs 302.55 crore,” says another official.

Some just drive

Passengers are wary of using public transport. Those who drive their own vehicles choose that option.

Dr Vivek Gagan, a medical practitioner who frequently travels between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, is one of them. “I was a regular bus traveller, but after the pandemic started, I switched to my car. The long hours seated inside a closed space and the mandatory rule of keeping the mask on even for an overnight journey causes discomfort,” he says. Shashidhar Mondaje, a professional, continues to take KSRTC between Bengaluru and his hometown in Dharwad. “I have to travel frequently and driving is not an option. Wearing the mask throughout the journey is claustrophobic but at least it keeps you safe,” he says.

KSRTC fares to major cities
from Bengaluru:

Vijayapura
Rs 655

Karwar
Rs 618

Kalaburgi
Rs 675

Dharwad
Rs 516

Bidar
Rs 788

Belagavi
Rs 603

Bagalkot
Rs 589

Mangaluru
Rs 406