Won't Roll Back Bus Fare Hike, Says Karnataka Transport Minister As BJP Blames Shakti Scheme

Last Updated:January 07, 2025, 11:48 IST

The BJP has been critical of the Shakti scheme, which offers free bus travel for women, arguing that the scheme not only adds to the government’s financial burden but also increases costs for other passengers

The Siddaramaiah cabinet recently accorded administrative approval to hike bus fares by 15 per cent. (PTI)

There is no question of rolling back the bus fare hike in Karnataka, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy told News18 as he blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for burdening the new government with a debt of Rs 5,900 crore.

“BJP is unable to digest the fact that we are able to drive our government effectively, and now they are trying to criticise the bus fare hike. There is no question of rolling this back. The BJP burdened us with Rs 5,900 crore debt, and the last ticket fare hike was 11 years ago. Look at the cost of diesel at that time. The government’s expenditure then was around Rs 9.16 crore. Now it is costing us around Rs 13 crore," Reddy said.

The Siddaramaiah cabinet recently accorded administrative approval to hike bus fares by 15 per cent to address the operational and financial challenges of the four road transport corporations (RTCs) — Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Kalyan Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC), and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC).

According to the transport department, between April 1 and November 30, 2024, the combined revenue of the four state-run transport corporations in Karnataka stood at Rs 8,418.46 crore, while their expenditure was pegged at Rs 9,511.41 crore.

Reddy added that key operational costs, such as diesel and staff wages, account for 90 per cent of total expenses. The wage revision in March 2023, along with ongoing demands for further hikes, has further strained the corporations’ financial health.

The salaries of the employees were Rs 12 crore earlier, but considering inflation and hikes, the cost to the government has now increased to Rs 18 crore. Combined with rising diesel prices and other expenses, an additional expenditure of around Rs 9.75 crore is being incurred, said Reddy.

“If we do not hike the fares, the burdens will keep increasing. This slight hike will help reduce our losses. Until now, Rs 8,800 crore has been allotted to the Shakti scheme, and with this hike, we will now be getting Rs 1,200 crore. Our losses will be slightly reduced," he said.

Diesel prices in 2015 were Rs 60.98 per litre and have increased to Rs 90 per litre over the past nine years.

The BJP has been critical of the Shakti scheme — which offers free bus travel for women — introduced by the Congress government, which had promised it as one of their five guarantees to come to power in the 2023 assembly polls. The BJP has argued that the scheme not only adds to the government’s financial burden but also increases costs for other passengers.

The Shakti scheme allows 64 lakh women passengers to travel free of charge daily in the state. As part of the scheme, women passengers are issued “zero-fare tickets". The corporations then calculate the ticket value based on the distance travelled by each passenger and submit the total claim to the government for reimbursement.

For the BJP, the question is simple — “Why at the cost of male passengers?"

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka called the scheme a “scam" and said it is the men of the state who are suffering and being burdened with higher bus fares, while women benefit from free travel as part of the government’s vote appeasement strategy. The BJP also launched a unique protest by distributing roses to passengers to highlight how the Congress government is looting the people of the state.

“In the last 10 years, price hikes have taken place for some RTCs. During this period, TA/DA and fuel costs also increased, but there was no hike in ticket prices to avoid inconveniencing passengers. When I completed my tenure as transport minister in 2013, BMTC and KSRTC had a profit of Rs 1,000 crore," Ashoka stated earlier.

Reddy responded by saying the Opposition may say whatever they want, but there is no relation between the bus fare hike and the Shakti scheme. “This income we will be getting will help cover the diesel expenses we incur while running the buses," he commented.

Pointing fingers at the previous BJP regime, Reddy alleged that the then government did not buy a single new bus for any of the three transport corporations during their four years in power.

“We have added 4,300 buses, and another 1,500 will be added soon. We have recruited 10,000 personnel. They did not recruit a single employee," the transport minister said.

News politics Won't Roll Back Bus Fare Hike, Says Karnataka Transport Minister As BJP Blames Shakti Scheme