Bengaluru/Shivamogga/Mangaluru
As the Karnataka government is gearing up to launch ‘Shakti’ - the scheme to allow women to travel for free in State–run road transport corporation (RTCs) buses from June 11, passengers in parts of the state, especially in Coastal Karnataka and Malnad districts where a majority of the bus services are operated by private operators, may not get the full benefit of the scheme.
Passengers in coastal districts such as Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi, and Malnad districts such as Kodagu, and Shivamogga depend largely on private buses to commute. Apart from this, districts in the old Mysuru region except for Bengaluru city also depend on the private buses in rural areas.
In the hilly district of Kodagu, most of the passengers going to work, schools, and colleges from their villages to nearby towns have to take private buses, which have become the lifeline of the people in the district. Deshica Machaiah, a college student from Napoklu, said that there are very few government buses from her home to Madikeri, where she goes to college. “My friends and I travel at least 20 kilometres from Napoklu to Madikeri in a private bus which charges nominal bus fare. As there are very few government buses, we will not get any benefit from the free bus travel for women scheme.”
Vinitha Ponnacha, an employee in a district cooperative bank in Virajpet who travels to Ammathi for work, also said the same: “We have an emotional connection with private buses here since we grew up travelling in them. They have good connectivity, are on time and charge nominal fare if we travel every day. At the same time when the rest of the state will have the benefits of travelling free in the RTC buses, we will miss the opportunity and travel in private buses since there are very few government buses.”
In Chikamagaluru and Shivamogga, the free bus facility will not benefit girls and women in places with no KRSTC services. The state corporation does not operate its buses on many routes in several parts. Sahakara Sarige, the organisation that was running on a cooperative model, closed its operation due to losses during COVID-19. It used to offer services in the rural areas of the two districts. However, now, many villages do not have bus facilities.
Hundreds of people from villages in Karuru and Barangi hoblis of Sagar are dependent on private buses to reach Sagar. Many students reach their schools and colleges by private bus, and will miss the free bus facility as KSRTC buses don’t operate on those routes. Bhageerathi from Karuru hobli said the government’s announcement would not be of any help to the women in the island villages of Sagar taluk. “We travel to Sagar only by private buses. Many students are dependent on private buses to reach college. The government should allot KSRTC buses to villages so that the benefit reaches us,” she said.
On Friday, the people of the villages on the backwaters of Sharavathi dam urged Sagar MLA Belur Gopala Krishna to get KSRTC buses allotted during his visit to the villages. The MLA assured them he would ensure three KSRTC buses commute on the route.
Rashmi Fernandes, a teacher at a school in Jeppu in Mangaluru said that she travels 37 k.m. daily (one-way) from her house at Siddakatte, to the school by changing two private buses. “A majority of KSRTC buses plying between B. C. Road and Mangaluru are full in the morning and evening as students board them in large numbers . It is very difficult to travel on KSRTC buses even by standing during peak hours. Hence, I travel by KSRTC buses between B. C. Road and Mangaluru, and board another private city bus in Mangaluru to reach the school at Jeppu,” she said.
She said when free travel for women comes into force, she can think of travelling by a KSRTC bus between B. C. Road and Mangaluru. But again, it will depend on the rush.
Similarly, many such routes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are not served by KSRTC buses. Hence, women will have to continue to depend on private buses for daily travel.
Private bus owners yet to recover from COVID-19 may be hit by Shakthi scheme
The free bus travel scheme has sowed the fear of losses in private bus owners despite their monopoly in some regions. For example, over 500 private buses operate in Shivamogga district. Only the Shivamogga-Bhadravathi and Shivamogga-Holalur routes are nationalised in the district. The remaining routes are being operated by both KSRTC and private buses.
The private bus owners are worried that the free bus facility will hit them badly. The busy routes, including Shivamogga-Chitradurga, Shivamogga-Davangere, Shivamogga-Sagar, and Shivamogga-Chikkamagaluru, are operated by both the private sector and KSRTC. “We will suffer huge losses in these routes once the free bus facility comes into effect. Why will women passengers come to our buses when travelling by KSRTC is free of charge?”, wondered Rangappa R., president of the Private Bus Owners Association in Shivamogga.
During COVID-19, the private bus operators surrendered their services to the RTO so that they could avoid paying road tax. They went through financial difficulties during those days. “A couple of private bus operators ended their lives, unable to bear the loss. Now, we will face a similar situation. We have to pay tax in advance, have insurance, and also look after the employees,” he said.
Private buses have been offering discounts to senior citizens and students. “We want the government to extend the free-bus facility to private buses also. Let the government reimburse the fare as it does in the case of KSRTC. We will approach the State Government on this,” Mr. Rangappa added.
Muralidhar Rao, a private bus operator from Kushalnagar in Kodagu said, “We are yet to recover from the loss of COVID-19, and now this will have a large impact. The KSRTC in the district from last year has increased buses; this has also impacted us. According to me, hundreds of employees and bus owners will suffer from the scheme,” he said.
In the Dakshina Kannada district, more than 400 private buses are run by private operators, and 68 buses are operated on a contract carriage basis in the rural areas. Dakshina Kannada District City Bus Owners Association is planning to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah requesting him to give relief to them at least by providing a diesel subsidy.
Districts with more private buses:
Dakshina Kannada
Udupi
Kodagu
Shivamogga
Chikkamagaluru
Mandya
Chamarajanagar
(Inputs from Darshan Devaiah, Satish G.T. and Ravi Prasad Kamila)
