Ashwamedha Classic buses that were flagged off in Mysuru on Saturday are expected to ease congestion in KSRTC buses with the passenger load going up substantially after the launch of Shakti – the scheme of offering free rides for women in State transport buses.
Shakti was one of the five guarantees of the Siddaramaiah government and it was the first guarantee that was implemented soon after the new government came to power in the State.
Minister in charge of Mysuru district H.C. Mahadevappa flagged off 20 Ashwamedha Classic buses, which are the upgraded versions of the Karnataka Sarige non-AC buses, near Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at the Balarama Gate of the Palace on Saturday.
The Mysuru KSRTC division operates 1,153 schedules and the 20 classic buses will now be added to the existing fleet of 1,120 buses. Out of 20 buses, three buses will be operated on Mysuru-Bengaluru route; three buses on Nanjangud-Mysuru-Bengaluru route; seven buses on Nanjangud-T. Narsipura-Bengaluru route; two buses each on Hunsur and H.D. Kote routes; two buses on Mysuru-Hassan route and one bus on Mysore-Virajpet route.
The new buses that provide point-to-point services are equipped with CCTV cameras in the front and the rear for the safety of passengers. Other facilities in the buses include mobile charging points, announcement and bus tracking, and panic buttons in the buses for the safety of women passengers.
The BS-6 eco-friendly buses have extra leg space for passengers and bucket seats of the commuter comfort. The buses provide luxury travel experience, said the KSRTC authorities.
For the information of commuters, there are LED display screens in the front and the rear of the buses.
The Mysuru KSRTC division, including the city and rural divisions, have 1,244 buses and operate 1,153 schedules. The district has 31 bus-stands with 10 depots.
The division operates buses on 3.75 lakh kms daily, and the daily revenue was ₹193.07 lakh. On an average, 6.07 lakh passengers commute daily in buses operated by the rural and urban division.
As many as 9.40 crore women have travelled in buses in Mysuru division since the launch of Shakti. The scheme was launched on June 11, 2023. The free tickets issued to the commuters has been valued around ₹213.44 crore.
In the State, 162.24 women have travelled in State transport buses since the launch. The free tickets issued was ₹3,879.16 crore so far. The number of passengers who used to travel in the division daily was 4.62 lakh but the number went up to 6.07 lakh after the launch of Shakti, a note issued here said.
