With no augmentation to its existing fleet of buses, the cash-strapped Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has a challenging task to improve connectivity in rural areas. Among the districts that it provides services to, Chitradurga has 578 villages that are deprived of its buses, the highest across Karnataka, where KSRTC has a monopoly. Tumakuru has the second largest number of unconnected villages at 510, followed by Chikkamagaluru district with 408 villages.
The numbers are telling, given that KSRTC now has a monopoly over 17 districts to provide bus services. Currently, 3,002 villages cannot avail of its services. To bridge this gap and improve connectivity, officials estimate that the corporation needs over 1,000 buses as well as additional 3,500 bus crew. In terms of infrastructure, it will have to invest in building five to six new depots.
The corporation, which is in a deep financial crisis, is looking for aid from the State Government to induct new buses, but the outlook appears bleak. It received none in 2021-22. In the recent Budget presented for 2022-23, no specific financial allocation was announced to induct new buses.
