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Mobility groups demands government to allocate Rs. 29.5 bn to BMTC

2023-02-17

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) has requested chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to increase funding for public transportation in this year's budget, arguing that more buses equal more income. They are hoping that this additional funding will assist them in meeting their demands, which include offering free rides to underserved communities, lifting the hiring moratorium to allow for the hiring of more drivers and conductors, putting the 900 unused Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses on city streets, expanding the fleet from 6,500 to 15,000 buses, and designing infrastructure to support public transportation rather than private automobiles.

Since February 1, BBPV has organised an offline and online campaign and has gotten support from about a thousand people. The mobility group wants the government to give the city's bus company roughly Rs 29.5 billion. Shaheen Shasa, a BBPV member, said: “There are free travel programmes for women using public transportation in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Delhi. According to a study by the Tamil Nadu Planning Board, this programme allowed women to save between Rs 756 and Rs 1,012 per month, enabling them to secure higher disposable incomes, higher employment rates, decreased reliance on family members for transportation, and new learning and networking opportunities. For other vulnerable groups like the elderly and the transgender community, similar access allowing is crucial.