Students who depend on Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses to commute to schools and colleges are worried as they are yet to receive their bus passes (smart cards). With no communication from the BMTC on whether it will extend the deadline allowing them to travel without passes, many wondered if they would be forced to pay the price of a full ticket for no fault of theirs on Monday.
At the start of the 2019–20 academic year, as the students had still not received bus passes, the BMTC had announced that they could travel till June 30 by producing the receipt of the fee paid for the current academic year. Students are demanding that the BMTC extend the deadline until they receive their passes.
A BMTC official said, “As on Sunday, no decision was taken on extending the deadline. The BMTC has started the process of the issuing the smart cards. More than 15,000 students have received their smart cards.”
Neeti N. a student said, “Even when the BMTC allowed students to travel till June 30, conductors on my route were forcing students to buy tickets. They were not ready to accept our old pass or other documents. We cannot get smart card within a day or two. The BMTC must extend the date for free travel till we get the passes.”
Many students recounted last year’s fiasco when the maiden attempt of the BMTC to take the process online and deliver the smart cards to the applicant’s home failed miserably. This year, officials announced that they would not be delivering the passes online, and opened 92 centres at 26 locations in Bengaluru, including 12 counters at Majestic bus stand.
Sharan Hegde, a PUC student, said, “I have applied for the bus pass online. I received a message stating that the time given for me to collect the smart card is July 2. Why is the BMTC forcing students to pay when they are in the process of giving a smart card?”