Pooja S., who commutes from Bagalagunte to Dasarahalli metro station in North Bengaluru, shifted from autorickshaws to bus after the launch of the Shakti scheme that provides free bus rides to women in non-premium services.
“I used to take an auto to reach the metro station and back home. But now, I have shifted to bus since it is free and I can save at least some money. Earlier, an auto ride would cost me ₹50 one way. Now, I am saving the money that I used to spend on auto rides. The buses are crowded and will take time. But hopefully, the crowd may come down eventually and the bus fleet will be expanded,” she said.
She’s not alone. Auto drivers in the city claim that the success of the Shakti scheme only meant they were losing business further. Most auto drivers in the city have been seeing a decline in auto bookings, especially on ride-hailing applications, allege autorickshaw drivers’ unions.
This comes even as the ridership in RTC buses across the State has added nearly 20 lakh passengers per day, a major chunk of it in the city, ever since the launch of the scheme on June 11. However, this also comes amid many groups of women such as garment workers — nearly 3 lakh strong in the city — complaining of an inadequate BMTC network and thus being denied the benefits of the scheme.
“Before free bus travel for women was launched, I used to earn ₹2,000 daily, but in the last one week, my earnings have dropped to ₹1,000 to ₹1,500. Most of the people who take auto rides are women in the city and after the launch of the Shakti scheme many are now taking buses,” said R. Krishna, an auto driver from Laggere.
‘Drivers suffering’
C. Sampath, general secretary of Adarsha Auto Drivers’ Union in the city, said that their drivers were saying that at least 30-40% of the business had been lost after the scheme was launched. It may benefit women, but auto drivers are suffering.
“I used to get at least 10 bookings every day through the ride-hailing apps, but now I get only five or eight bookings. In peak hours, the number of ride requests is coming down. Most women prefer to go by bus,” said Ravindra, another auto driver from Moodalapalya, but added that he had been noticing that he usually gets rides from metro stations and bus stops to wherever there are no bus services.
Evidently, not all women have shifted to buses from autos and cabs. Lack of BMTC connectivity and overcrowding of buses are some of the key reasons why many still continue to hail autos and cabs. “Every day, I travel from Bannerghatta Road to Bellandur for work. I wanted to travel by bus since it is free for us, however since there is no proper bus connectivity, I have to depend on autos to reach the office. I spend at least ₹500 every day to commute,” said Pavana Rao, an IT employee.
Garment and Textile Workers’ Union has also complained that the three-lakh-strong women workforce in the sector had not been able to avail of the benefits of the scheme as the bus connectivity to areas where they lived was poor and have demanded that the BMTC run mini-buses to these areas from garment factory hubs in the city.
