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Every year, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates additional services during Ganesha Chaturthi anticipating that there will be a huge rush. This year, however, officials say demand for online tickets is lower than that in previous years. Incessant rain might be forcing Bengalureans to drop their plans of venturing out of the city or people may be relying on private vehicles to move out.
A KSRTC official said, “Usually, one or two days prior to the festival we see a rise in demand for online reservation of tickets. Last year, it touched up to 20,000 but this time till Sunday, we received booking up to 10,000. The city receiving heavy rainfall might be forcing people to stay indoors and drop their plans of going to their native places. This time, Ganesh Chaturthi has come in the middle of the week. Usually, people look for long weekends to go out — this could be another factor.” The official added that there was also no significant rise in demand for buses operated on inter-State routes.
