Bus strike disrupts intercity travel as people have to wait 2-3 hours; less impact in city

Bengaluru, Aug 5 (PTI) As expected, the strike called by the employees of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) disrupted the intercity travel on Tuesday, but Bengaluru city transportation remains largely unaffected.

Early morning confusion about the availability of enough Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses had resulted in people switching to Metro services, resulting in more crowded than usual Metros. Increased use of individual vehicles has also resulted in traffic snarls, particularly at bottlenecks. But by 9 am, the situation settled, when people realised BMTC buses were plying in normal frequencies.

BMTC officials claimed that they are operating with nearly 100 per cent strength, ensuring commuters are not inconvenienced.

"As of 10 am, as per our data, of the usual 3,303 buses that ply from 49 depots in Bengaluru, both rural and urban, we had 3,283 buses in service.

Airport bus services particularly remained unaffected," Abdul Ahad, Director, Security and Vigilance, BMTC, told PTI.

However, KSRTC, which connects Bengaluru to other parts of Karnataka, is running on limited services.

Manjunatha, who was waiting at the Kempegowda Bus Station, the main bus stand of Bengaluru that is popularly known as Majestic, to catch a bus to Hassan, told PTI Videos that he has been waiting for nearly three hours.

"I am a bit desperate because a family member was involved in an accident and I need to get to Hassan as soon as possible. So, I even tried to see if I could go by private bus. But they are asking for Rs 500 to Rs 600, which for me is too much. With KSRTC, I only pay Rs 180. So, I decided to wait a bit longer," said Manjunatha.

Most travellers heading to destinations such as Hassan, Madikeri, and Sakleshpura had to wait for nearly two to three hours, according to the PTI Videos team.

The government has permitted private buses to run from the Majestic KSRTC bus stand, in order to bridge the gap between demand and supply.

Although a large number of private operators started offering services to different parts of Karnataka from the government bus stand, most travellers found the fare on the exorbitant side. PTI JR ADB