Bengaluru
On the completion of the first month of Shakti scheme, which provides free bus rides for women in non-premium buses, women made 16.73 crore free trips across the State costing the exchequer ₹401.94 crore. On an average, 55.7 lakh women are travelling daily on the State-run buses after the launch of the scheme.
According to data provided by the Transport Department, the four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) operated 3,147 extra trips everyday to cater to the increased demand for bus trips following the implementation of the scheme. This also indicates that the RTCs have a shortage of fleet. The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) ran the highest number of extra trips at 1,500, while Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation ran the least at 238. It should be noted that the Transport Department is in the process of adding 4,000 more buses and in the latest State Budget over ₹500 crore has been allocated to purchase them.
The data said on July 4, the department recorded the highest number of ridership of 1.20 crore, of which 70.15 lakh were women travellers. The average ticket value of daily women ridership is ₹13.40 crore. The KSRTC has recorded the highest women ridership of 5.09 crore and ticket value is pegged at ₹151.25 crore.
Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy said the public and particularly women passengers have been availing themselves of the benefits of the scheme by travelling in our daily buses. This has demonstrated that government buses are not only the lifeline of the public but also the preferred transport mode of women passengers.
