Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday that the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation would get 1,400 new electric buses by April of next year.
In the first phase, he flagged off 100 BMTC non-AC electric buses at Vidhana Soudha.
“Since the inception of the Shakti scheme, Karnataka women have taken 120 crore free rides on state buses. Every day, 40 lakh passengers ride on the BMTC. In this, women from all castes, religions, and walks of life travel for free,” he remarked.
He stated that the new electric buses were installed to enhance public transportation while also reducing the city’s rising vehicle pollution.
Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of criticizing its free bus transportation for women and questioned why it did not execute this charity package when in office. He also discussed the scheme’s effectiveness.
“People’s purchasing power and the state’s economic activity are both increasing as a result of our guarantees. Laborers, farmers, and women benefit greatly from these programs. They put the money towards other family necessities. As a result, the economic power of millions of households is growing,” the chief minister remarked.
“Approximately 4.30 crore people in the state directly benefit from government guarantee schemes. This brings the poor and working classes into the mainstream of economic progress,” he remarked.
According to him, economic empowerment has resulted in financial independence for all women, poor, working-class, and middle-class families in the state.
“The Congress government had come to power in order to accomplish this. The previous BJP administration did little to empower the people. Instead, they criticize,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the BMTC stated in a statement that the Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAS) is being installed in 10 buses to establish a safer transportation system for passengers and to raise driver awareness.
“In order to effectively control traffic violation and accident cases caused by drivers, 3,000 drivers are being trained in traffic command and control center from December with the cooperation of the police department for safe driving and strict adherence to traffic rules,” the report said.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has a daily ridership of 27.7 lakh as of May 2023. The BMTC, which is controlled by the Government of Karnataka, is Bangalore’s principal means of public transportation. The BMTC has a fleet of 6,798 buses as of August 2022.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employs around 37,618 people. The KSRTC serves Southern Karnataka, whereas the NWKRTC serves North-Western Karnataka and the KKRTC serves North-Eastern Karnataka.
