Free bus travel for women: Karnataka needs to quickly add buses to cater to spike in demand

On June 11, Karnataka government rolled out the 'Shakti' scheme, which is one of the first five poll guarantees of the Congress party.

Lakshmi, a Pourakarmika (sanitation worker) residing on Magadi Road, Bengaluru, has often had to forgo buying milk for her children. She needed the money to pay for her bus to work.

Not anymore, as the Congress-led Karnataka government on June 11 rolled out the ‘Shakti’ scheme, among its five poll guarantees, that offers women free travel in non-premium buses run by the state-run Road Transport Corporations (RTCs).

In February 2022, in a public hearing organised by Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), an NGO advocating better bus services, Lakshmi, a single parent, tearfully expressed her financial woes.

"My monthly salary is only Rs 9,000 after deductions, but I have to spend Rs 1,050 for the monthly bus pass alone. On top of that, there are school fees for my children, rent, power & water bills, and other expenses. If I am unable to find a bus and miss work, my salary is further deducted. Who will understand our pain and problems? If the government provided free bus passes, I could have saved some money and bought milk for my children," she had said then.

Lakshmi's plea resonated with numerous women from marginalised backgrounds who participated in the public hearing. They collectively urged the state government to introduce free bus services for women and reduce fares for all passengers in Bengaluru, taking inspiration from similar initiatives in states like Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

Many women, including domestic and garment factory workers, were forced to travel in unsafe overloaded shared auto rickshaws, illegal trucks, etc., or even walk, since they couldn't afford the bus, especially in Bengaluru, which has one of the highest fares in the country.

The minimum fare for the first five km in a non-AC Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus costs Rs 15, whereas it is only Rs 10 in Pune and Delhi, Rs 6 in Chennai, and Rs 5 in Mumbai.

Public Transport is an essential service enabling access to work, education, healthcare. BMTC fares, highest in India, is strangling the working class already in economic distress. BBPV is campaigning to demand a lower bus fare for all & free travel for women. #befair #reducefare pic.twitter.com/i57W9kFKhF

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— Bus Prayanikara Vedike (@BBPVedike) February 11, 2022

Increase in passengers

On June 11, the state government launched the Shakti scheme, which is one of the poll guarantees of the Congress party. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said the scheme would especially benefit women from poor and lower-middle classes. Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar travelled from Vidhana Soudha to Majestic in a non-AC bus, and the CM even took on the role of a conductor, issuing tickets.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar stated that the scheme would benefit women from poor and lower-middle-class backgrounds by allowing them to save money for household expenses.

Within minutes of the scheme's launch, the photograph of a woman named Ningavva Shiggadi bowing and touching the footboard of a bus with her forehead went viral. Ningavva, who took a bus from Dharwad to Savadatti in Belagavi district, expressed her joy at no longer needing to seek permission or money from her children for bus travel.

Within minutes of the scheme's launch, the photograph of a woman named Ningavva Shiggadi bowing and touching the bus' footboard with her forehead as she boarded it, went viral.

Prior to the implementation of the scheme, the daily ridership of the four RTCs was 82.51 lakh. Of this, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) accounted for 23.59 lakh, the BMTC for 27.34 lakh,  North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) for 16.94 lakh, and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) for 14.64 lakh passengers.

Statistics from the four RTCs show an increase in daily ridership after the introduction of the Shakti scheme. On June 12th, the ridership of the four RTCs reached 1.03 crore, which further rose to 1.16 crore on June 13, 1.12 crore on June 14, 1.10 crore on June 15 and 1.16 crore on June 16 (see the graph).

Notably, BMTC, Bengaluru's lifeline, too recorded a substantial increase in ridership during this period, with 34.94 lakh passengers on June 12, 40.17 lakh passengers on June 13 (Monday), 33.44 lakh passengers on June 14, 33.28 lakh passengers on June 15 and 36 lakh on June 16. Around 40-44 percent of the passengers were women.

"With the implementation of the Shakti scheme, ridership has increased significantly. The drivers and conductors are also happy as they are getting a 1 percent incentive on the total revenue collected in addition to their salaries," a senior transport department official told Moneycontrol.

The surge in ridership led to complaints of overcrowded buses and people having to travel on footboards. On June 12, Madhu Kumbara, a 14-year-old girl, died after she fell off from an overcrowded NWRTC bus  in Hangal. A day later, an elderly woman in her 60s was injured after she fell from an overcrowded bus in Belagavi.

Shortage of buses and staff

The four RTCs currently have a total of 23,978 buses; however, only 21,574 of them are operational, primarily due to a shortage of staff. With nearly half the non-operational buses in Bengaluru alone, the situation seems to be the worst in India’s silicon city, where only 5,557 of 6,688 BMTC buses are operational.

According to mobility experts, there should be at least 120 buses per 1,00,000 people. Given its population of about 12 million, Bengaluru should have about 14,000 buses

While transport department officials said the four RTCs will procure 1,894 buses this year, that is not enough to cater to the higher demand due to the Shakti scheme.

Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy told Moneycontrol that the state is in the process of inducting new buses, and plans to introduce more electric buses in Bengaluru. "The government has received positive feedback from women passengers. This scheme will not affect RTCs," he said.

The staff shortage is mainly because the state government has instructed cash-strapped RTCs not to hire permanent staff, in order to alleviate the financial burden. The last regular recruitment drive took place in 2018, and since then, many employees have retired or died of Covid and other causes, or left the service for other reasons. A number of staffers were fired because of their participation in a 15-day strike in April 2021.

DV Vijaybhaskar, secretary of the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, said 16,969 positions were vacant in four RTCs as of January 2020, and the number has increased further by now.

He emphasised that as the number of passengers has increased following the implementation of the Shakti scheme, the government should immediately fill these vacancies.

"Private bus operators and their employees are now facing a crisis due to this scheme, as women passengers have shifted from private buses to RTC buses. The state government could consider taking over private buses and employing their staff to ensure the success of the scheme," he added.

Future of RTCs

According to the state transport department, the Shakti scheme is expected to cost Rs 4,051.56 crore a year, the break-up of which is as follows: KSRTC (Rs 1,563.6 crore), BMTC (Rs 770.16 crore), NWKRTC (Rs 906.84 crore), and KKRTC (Rs 810.96 crore).

In a letter dated June 7, 2023,  to the managing directors of RTCs, the department said that it cannot provide additional funds for salary and fuel payments.

The letter instructed RTCs to find internal resources to fund salary hikes. In March, the state government had announced a 15 percent hike in basic pay for the 1.04 lakh employees of the four RTCs. The cost of the enhanced salaries is estimated to be about Rs 45.13 crore a month.

"If the government ensures monthly reimbursements without delays, there would be no issues; otherwise, RTCs may face a serious crisis. For student passes, the state government currently bears 50 percent of the cost, RTCs bear 25 percent, and students pay the rest. But student pass reimbursements are often delayed. This should not happen with the  Shakti scheme," a transport department official said.

A mobility activist emphasised the need for government investment to improve service quality, enabling more people to benefit from public transport. "Insufficient bus services may force many citizens to rely on their own vehicles. There should be an increase in the number of buses, dedicated lanes, etc. Free bus travel should be limited to the poor. The government should guarantee a minimum service level for passengers, and prompt reimbursement to RTCs. Else, while initially there might be a surge in demand, people may revert to using their own vehicles if the service quality fails to meet expectations due to overcrowded buses," he explained.

Shaheen Shasa,  a BBVP member, said: " Lower-middle class individuals who are financially burdened will benefit from the scheme. Saving Rs 1,050 per month would provide additional funds to women for various purposes," she said.

Srinivas Alavilli, a mobility activist, said: "The right to mobility opens opportunities, particularly for women seeking education, skills, and livelihoods. In rural areas, where women are often expected to be homemakers, fewer women pursue higher education or work opportunities. The free bus scheme would enable them to explore these opportunities. In small towns, where workplaces are distant, and salaries are low, family members discourage women from working since they cannot save much after paying the bus fare. This scheme will empower such women and also increase their spending power, which will be good for the economy.’’

Alavilli added that the government should identify high-demand routes and deploy more buses. "As the free bus scheme may have some unintended consequences, incorporating private buses into the Shakti scheme would protect the livelihoods of the private bus employees and owners," he added.

Former BMTC chairman and MLC Nagaraju Yadav said the Shakti scheme would contribute to reducing traffic congestion in Bengaluru. He questioned the sustainability of continually adding more flyovers and widening roads to tackle the issue. Instead, promoting public transport would lead to a reduction in the number of private vehicles on the road and also reduce the number of accidents, he said.Free bus passes for students, senior citizens, & sanitation workers

In the Congress manifesto for the Karnataka polls, besides the Shakti scheme the party mentioned plans to increase the BMTC bus fleet to 10,000 and the KSRTC fleet to 15,000 within five years. The manifesto also spoke of the provision of free bus passes to students, senior citizens, and BBMP pourakarmikas (sanitation workers). However, the state government is yet to announce it.

The Congress party had also pledged in its manifesto that it will increase the share of public transport in ferrying commuters to 70 percent from 55 percent. It has also promised that within two years e-buses will comprise 50 percent of the BMTC fleet. Further, the Congress manifesto also stated that employees of state transport corporations would be considered on par with other government departments.

Increase bus fleet: activists

In a statement, the BBVP said that it is crucial to increase the bus fleet immediately to accommodate the rise in ridership. The RTCs, BBPV suggested, should be given funds to hire more drivers and conductors. For instance, BMTC could quickly deploy more than 1,000 unused buses into service with additional hires. The government should also promptly address service gaps by optimising and revising routes to meet current and future needs. Further, future fleet expansion for BMTC should focus on non-AC buses to ensure that women can fully benefit from the scheme, as AC buses are exempted from it, the statement added.

Bengaluru's experiments with free bus travel

In the 2023-2024 state budget, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced free travel for women working in the organised sector, and allocated Rs 1,000 crore for it. The scheme did not extend to women in the unorganised sector, who need it the most. However, the scheme failed to take off. Similarly, earlier proposals to provide free bus passes to construction and garment workers had less takers.

For the Shakti scheme to succeed, RTCs must be able to survive. This will in turn hinge on the funds provided by the state government. The scheme should be able to draw both women who are daily wagers and those working in tech parks. Like Gustavo Petro, Colombian economist and also the current President of Colombia, once said: “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.’’