Bus fare hike to be effective from November 5

Women and students who travel in RTCs will not be affected, since the Shakti scheme, one of the five guarantees, offers free bus travel to women and students, who were recently exempted.

Close on the heels of a steep increase in the price of Nandini milk and curd marketed by the Karnataka Milk Federation, bus travel in the State-owned road transport corporations is set to increase from November 5. The quantum of the fare hike will be decided on November 4.

Women and students who travel in the RTCs would not be affected since the Shakti scheme, one of the five guarantees, offers free bus travel to women and students, who were recently exempted. Though the issue of the fare hike had come before the recent meeting of the State Cabinet, the decision had been deferred.

Byrathi Suresh

On Sunday, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh announced that the fresh fare would come into effect on November 5, and the decision on the quantum of the hike would be made on November 4. “The BJP-led Union government has increased the price of diesel five times in the past year. The four State-owned Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) will incur losses to a tune of ₹2,000 crores annually. The total losses of the four RTCs are to the tune of ₹9,000 crores. Hence, the upward fare revision is inevitable,” the Minister defended, speaking to reporters in Chikkaballapur, near here.

“During the recent Cabinet meeting, when the issue came up for discussion, the Cabinet and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have given the powers to the Transport Department to decide on the fare revision,” he said, adding that the transport cost in the RTCs in Karnataka was cheaper compared to costs in other States.

Earlier, speaking during the 71st Karnataka Rajyothsava celebrations, the Transport Minister said that so far 845.33 crore trips undertaken by women had been covered under the Shakti scheme, and the government had spent ₹22,281.94 crore on the scheme so far. About 10.07 lakh free student bus passes had been issued, he said, adding that 6,500 new buses to be bought through the PM-e Drive and the World Bank scheme would be added to the RTC fleet in phases.

He pointed out that the orders had been issued to rename the North West Karnataka State Transport Corporation as Kittur Rani Chennamma Transport Corporation.