In times of strikes and bandhs, buses operated by State-run transport corporations become the first target as agitators attempt to disrupt the rhythm of daily life. Unruly acts in the recent past have taken a heavy toll on the finances of transport corporations.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (BMTC) suffered losses to the tune of crores of rupees. They had to stop operation of services owing to damage to buses on account of mob violence. In Bengaluru, the BMTC incurred a loss of more than ₹46 crore in the last three years.
In 2018-19, 130-odd BMTC buses were damaged by acts of violence and the corporation incurred a loss of approximately ₹9.14 crore due to non operation of buses. The previous year, it incurred a loss of ₹15.26 lakh. In 2016-17, when Bengaluru came to a standstill during protests over the Cauvery dispute, the BMTC incurred its highest loss of ₹36.85 crore.
The BMTC operates more than 6,500 buses and close to 45 lakh people rely on its services every day. The Corporation also incurred huge operational losses due to non-operation of buses on account of strikes and bandhs as it earns ₹3.34 crore in traffic revenue per day.
The KSRTC suffered a loss of over ₹28 crore between 2016 and 2018. In 2017-18, it recorded 16 cases of buses being damaged, and in the previous year, the number was as high as 175.
A senior official of the BMTC said, “Buses are always an easy target during strikes or bandhs. Stones are pelted at buses, and crews are assaulted when we operate on those days. Considering the safety of passengers and crew, we are forced to suspend our services. This results in inconvenience to the general public. In January, for consecutive two days, bus services were disrupted due to a nationwide bandh call.”
An official of the KSRTC said, “In the last couple of years, our services were badly hit on several days due to the Cauvery issue. To avoid any untoward incident, the Corporation had cancelled inter-State services too.”