City bus operators reject ban on entry of private buses

The transport department and traffic police's decision to not allow entry of private buses to manage the traffic menace in Bengaluru was rejected by the private bus operators.

According to the bus operators, banning private buses from entering the city is not the only solution to avoid traffic congestion. Government buses plying from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh should be restricted, they suggested.

The operators said, "At present, 350 stage-carriage private buses are operational and by restricting these buses alone cannot ease the chaotic congestion on city roads. The authorities should seriously consider restricting the movement of 900 buses coming in every day from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. 

They added, "Vehicles that don’t have a stage-carriage license should be regulated. The number of maxi cabs has also increased in the city. If these vehicles are regulated, then the city's traffic woes could be eased."

"We have information that many private buses are being operated without any stage-carriage license. After weighing the pros and cons related to the matter, a final report would be submitted to the government," said transport commissioner Rame Gowda.

Based on the suggestions put forward by the private bus operators, the transport department has been contemplating to ban the entry of KSRTC buses as well as private ones in the city. The department officers have been working on installing GPS trackers to monitor the movements of stage-carriage buses.