People aged over 65 years can now travel by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses.
Though the BMTC had resumed bus services on May 19, at the time, the State government had advised senior citizens to stay at home and avoid travel as a safety measure. On Monday, the chief traffic manager (operations) directed the bus crew to allow senior citizens to board the bus. The order also states that concessions for senior citizens on normal and monthly passes will continue.
A BMTC official said, “After resumption of services, many senior citizens started requesting the BMTC to allow them to travel. For their benefit, we have directed the bus crew to allow senior citizens to travel in city buses. However, the number of people travelling would be very low. Senior citizens are entitled to a 25% discount on the normal fare.”
Ridership on Monday
Asked about increase in ridership on Monday in the wake of the opening of malls, restaurants, and hotels, the official said, “There is a slight increase in traffic. We operated around 4,800 buses on Sunday. The number of passengers is likely to increase in the coming days.”
KSRTC to screen passengers
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has increased pick up points in city limits. After resumption of services, the KSRTC had insisted that people board the buses at Majestic and Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Station. Now, KSRTC buses are picking up passengers at Navarang, Govardhan theatre, Hebbal, Yelahanka, Kalasipalya and Kengeri. Passengers will be subjected to thermal screening before boarding.