Several associations, including the Karnataka Drivers Association and the Karnataka City Taxi Operator Control Association, extended their support.
Published Sep 10, 2023 | 8:55 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 10, 2023 | 9:21 PM
BMTC to run additional 500 buses on Monday. (South First)
Get ready for an unusual Monday, on 11 September, as a significant chunk of private taxis and service vehicles — from the ubiquitous auto-rickshaws to taxis, maxi cabs, goods vehicles, and even corporate buses — are likely to stay off the roads in Bengaluru.
This transportation disruption is organised by the Federation of the Karnataka State Private Transport Associations, uniting 32 private transport groups.
The association has called for a one-day bandh over the Karnataka government’s apparent failure to respond to its grievances and demands.
From midnight of Sunday until the stroke of midnight on Monday, expect the urban cacophony of honking horns and revving engines to hush, potentially turning the daily commutes of students, office-goers, and many others into something worse.
In the wake of the Bengaluru bandh, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is expected to run an additional 500 buses to help commuters and meet the transport demand.
Following the bandh call by the federation, around 10 lakh private vehicles — including airport taxis, auto rickshaws, and school vans — are expected to stay off the road on Monday.
Around 32 associations, including the Karnataka Drivers Association, Karnataka State School Children Vehicle Trade Union, Karnataka City Taxi Operator Control Association, and the Jai Bharat Auto Drivers Association, have extended their support to the bandh.
As private maxi cabs are one of the main modes of transport for several schoolchildren, some schools in the city have declared a holiday on Monday to prevent the students from being inconvenienced, claimed sources.
Those commuting to the airport would need to find alternative means as well.
https://twitter.com/BLRAirport/status/1700794530445008914
The federation called for a bandh seeking a ban on bike taxis and proper regulation of taxi aggregators.
Among other demands, It has also urged the government to extend the Shakti scheme, which offers free rides to women on state-run transport buses, to private buses as well.
Private transporters have claimed that they have been negatively impacted by the scheme as autorickshaw drivers were facing 40 percent losses every day.
The state government did not fulfil their demands despite repeated discussions, they added.
Federation President S Nataraj Sharma told reporters: “Around 7-lakh vehicles, including autos, taxis, airport taxis, maxi cabs, goods vehicles, school vehicles, stage carriages, contract carriages, and corporate buses, will remain off the roads on Monday.”
He added: “We have organised a protest march from the Sangolli Rayanna Circle to Freedom Park in the city as part of the bandh. We have called the bandh as the government failed to respond to our grievances and demands.”
Sharma also said: “The government must ban bike taxis, introduce proper price and commission regulation on taxi aggregators, give ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance to auto drivers, extend the Shakti scheme to private buses, and completely waive road tax, which are some of our major demands.”
Owing to the protest on Monday, the BMTC has decided to run an additional 500 buses to mitigate the inconvenience caused to the public.
According to officials from the corporation: “The BMTC will run more bus trips and services in the city. Additional buses will also be operated to Kempegowda International Airport on Monday. Around 500 buses including 50 Volvo buses will be operated additionally in various routes.”
— BMTC (@BMTC_BENGALURU) September 10, 2023
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy recently said that the government was open to talks with the federation and was also making preparations to ensure that the inconvenience to the public was minimised.
Reddy told reporters on Sunday: “They have put forward 30 demands before the government. Among them, only two are related to the problems caused to them by the implementation of the Shakti scheme. The rest of the demands are old.”
He noted: “They had put the same demands during the BJP regime in the state. Another four demands are under judicial review as the matters are before the court. The government will not have much to say about this.”
He also said: “The financial aid being demanded for auto drivers and private buses will not be an easy task. It burdens the government by nearly ₹5,000 crore. They have every right to protest. We will make an effort to address most of their demands.”
