Transport strike disrupts travel in Karnataka, women pay up
She said she was forced to travel by the TT, given the uncertainty of bus availability. 'According to news, there was a strike but a few buses were operational, and when I was waiting for the bus I couldn't spot any.' Another woman in her late 70s, Lakshmamma, said, 'This government is playing with our daily life by not acting according to the situation. Someone said there was a strike, some said there wasn't, and now I have to take a private vehicle as I didn't find any buses from HSR Layout and I don't have that kind of money.'
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Time of India
06-08-2025
- Time of India
Karnataka bus strike leaves passengers stranded, struggling with high fares
BENGALURU: It was surprising for Syed that there were private buses at Terminal 2 of KSRTC. "I was looking for a bus to Hassan to deliver a parcel. None in sight." Syed was not the only one to find the red and white buses of KSRTC being replaced by colored buses of private operators at the inter-city terminals in Majestic on Tuesday. Women with financial constraints who often availed themselves of the Shakti scheme also found themselves stuck in the unaffordable city. "We might go back to the govt hospital where we came to visit a relative of ours," said two women who work as labourers and are from Davangere. It is also the time for coffee plantation labour to arrive at farms in the Ghats, with families doing their annual travel to Sakalespur. A family from Assam said ,"We just reached from Assam by train and were hoping to take the govt bus. But here, private seater bus is charging Rs 2400 for five adults," said Mansura and her family. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Another family was heading to the red bus to go to Saklespur, knew they would earn Rs 5 a kg of coffee, but everything else seemed shrouded in uncertainty. "We are not sure what exactly the work there would be there. Now we are unsure how to get there." Long-distance passengers -- to Raichur, Mangaluru, and north Karnataka -- found themselves in a fix. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Real-Time Conversations in 68 Languages? AI Just Made It Possible Enence 2.0 Undo Those who could afford, set an ultimatum, and then jumped into a private bus. One of them was a passenger from Mangaluru who came to the city as a get-away -- "But it turned expensive. I have waited for three hours and I'm done. I'm taking the pvt bus although it's Rs 900 a ticket despite being non-AC!" A private bus operator said they were uncertain if they would get passengers back during the weekday, which also becomes a tricky situation for unviable routes. "Fewer operate to North Karnataka because of bad roads, the distance being extremely long," he added. The KSRTC depot saw more police personnel stationed for crowd control. "The crowd is expected to surge by late evening, and hence more of us are here," said the police personnel. Ramesh M: I was heading to Raichur with my wife for the Varamahalaxmi festival. Sarige would have cost her zero rupees and me Rs 600. But pvt buses charge Rs 800 a person. We are going back Banashankari. The to and fro auto charge has been Rs 600. Laxman Khayam: Three of us came from Jharkhand for a holiday. At Majestic, an auto shanghaied us into taking a ride to another bus stop 9kms away, and when there were no buses, we got back here, costing us Rs 2400. We have to go to Chitradurga. Durgamma: We came from Jagalur in Davanagere to the govt Kidwai hospital here to meet our relative. We usually take the free bus Sarige. We did not know about the strike. Now pvt buses demand Rs 500 a person. We do not know what to do, where to stay—some say we need to wait till later in the evening for KSRTC, but pvt buses say the strike will continue till tomorrow, asking us -- 'How long are you expecting to wait?' Vishnupriya: My sister and I travelled from Bellary last night by KSRTC Sarige bus for a job interview today. We did not know about the strike. We have been waiting for 15 minutes for a KSRTC to go back or will have to take the pvt bus, which costs Rs 700 a person. Nandan Aradhaya: The pvt bus charges Rs 50 usually, but today when getting here, it increased to Rs 100 a person. About 20 of us take the bus daily from Vijayapura in Devanahalli to Bengaluru for college. Each day is a struggle to go back -- buses come to KSRTC and wait for two hours at least. We reach home late at night. Our route is Majestic to Shidlaghatta, but at the same time, four buses head to Chikkaballapur -- It's a regular struggle for us. To add to it, today, we have waited for two hours for the KSRTC bus to leave.
New Indian Express
06-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Transport strike disrupts travel in Karnataka, women pay up
BENGALURU: Mala, a 30-year-old farmer, and her infant travelled from Channarayapatna near Devanahalli to Kempegowda Bus Stand on Tuesday morning to visit a relative admitted in hospital. She said she travelled by a private Tempo Traveller (TT), and was charged her Rs 250 for her journey, which would otherwise have been completely free under the Shakti scheme. She said she was forced to travel by the TT, given the uncertainty of bus availability. 'According to news, there was a strike but a few buses were operational, and when I was waiting for the bus I couldn't spot any.' Another woman in her late 70s, Lakshmamma, said, 'This government is playing with our daily life by not acting according to the situation. Someone said there was a strike, some said there wasn't, and now I have to take a private vehicle as I didn't find any buses from HSR Layout and I don't have that kind of money.'
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Time of India
Karnataka bus strike leaves several long-distance commuters in lurch
Bengaluru: During the 10-hour shutdown, most districts bore the brunt of the transport strike, with Kalyana Karnataka region witnessing just 30% of services in operation. Or, two of three buses were not plying in large swathes of this cluster. Employees of state-owned road transport corporations launched an indefinite bus strike Tuesday, demanding payment of 38 months' pending arrears and a wage hike. The strike was subsequently suspended by late afternoon after the Karnataka high court stepped for the second time in 24 hours, this time, declaring the shutdown illegal and holding striking employees in contempt. The Majestic bus stand — the nerve centre for those travelling out of Bengaluru — wore a new look since early Tuesday: Private buses driving into bus bays, a no-go area otherwise. With KSRTC operating barely 58% of its fleet, passengers were stranded without access to long-distance buses. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru To bail out the passengers, regional transport offices deployed maxicabs and private buses to help them reach their destinations. Many who reached the terminal unaware of the strike were left waiting for buses to Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan, Hubballi, Davanagere and other destinations. Even those who booked tickets online faced difficulties. Prasad Kumar, a stranded passenger, said: "We booked tickets online to travel to Mangaluru, but received no cancellation message. We came to know about the non-availability of the bus only after arriving at the terminal. We had no option but to take a private bus." Fear of suspension? Employees fall in line Thousands of transport employees were caught in a pincer, with the govt and the high court calling the strike illegal and trade unions struggling to get the govt to blink on salary arrears and revision hanging fire for several years. HV Ananth Subba Rao, president of KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation, alleged the state govt showed indifference to their long-pending demands. "For over a year, we have been demanding that the govt clear 38 months' arrears. The CM agreed to clearing just 14 months'. This is not acceptable," he said. Cash-strapped road transport corporations are estimated to require Rs 1,800 crore to clear the 38 months' arrears. Many drivers and conductors expressed frustration at the delay. Their query is simple and straight: If the state could spend Rs 13,000 crore on Shakti (free bus travel) scheme, couldn't it release Rs 1,800 crore to pay off arrears. "We worked day in and day out during the pandemic and after the Shakti scheme. It's distressing that our rightful arrears aren't paid," some of them said. A driver and a conductor on BMTC's Majestic-HAL route said: "I wanted to join the strike, but I was scared. In 2021, I was wrongly booked for protesting though I was home, unwell. I lost my job and stayed jobless for two years. With kids to raise and to pay Rs 12,000 rent, it was a struggle. I got my job back only because of a high court order. I do support the strike, but I can't state so openly. We're being made to report a day in advance to ensure we don't skip duty. We work just to survive — even that's being denied. Suspension is the biggest fear. What do we do if our only livelihood is taken away?" Another driver on Halasuru route said they were reporting to work out of respect for the court and fear (of losing the only job they have). "If we're not paid properly, how do we survive?" he asked. How BMTC ducked the strike blow With the dust of the 2021 strike refusing to die down, Tuesday's strike had minimal impact on BMTC's city operations, although services to the outskirts were affected. Four years ago, about 4,000 employees reportedly faced action for joining a strike. BMTC operated 1,500 electric buses managed by private operators. By 4pm when the strike was suspended, BMTC had completed 6,010 out of 6,014 schedules for the day, nearly netting a 100% rate. The bitter experience of the 15-day strike in April 2021 refuses to go away. A driver said: "Many employees spent 2-3 years without a job due to disciplinary action. They feared joining the strike (this time) would invite more trouble. Also, there's no unity among unions. They could have waited for a day — as per the court's order — for clarity. This strike didn't achieve any major goal." City bus services operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation were partially affected during morning hours. According to BMTC officials, 3,040 out of 3,121 scheduled services were operational as of 9am. Services from Majestic bus stand, including most night-halt buses and general shift schedules, operated without any hitch.
