Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah announces addition of 1,400 electric buses to BMTC fleet by April 2024

Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar flagged off 100 non-AC electric buses at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru today, and also took a ride in one of the buses.

Published on: Dec 26, 2023, 15:55:53 IST

By Yamini C S

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In good news for commuters in Bengaluru, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is all set to add around 1,400 new electric buses to its fleet, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Tuesday. He along with his deputy, DK Shivakumar, flagged off a 100 non-AC electric buses at the Vidhana Soudha in the Karnataka capital today.

CM Siddaramaiah said the 1,400 new buses will be added to the BMTC's fleet by April next year.

The duo also took a ride in one of the buses after the programme. CM Siddaramaiah spoke to reporters about the matter and said the 1,400 new buses will be added to the BMTC's fleet by April next year.

"So far, Karnataka women have undertaken 120 crore rides in state transport buses for free since the launch of the Shakti scheme. A total of 40 lakh people travel on BMTC every day. In this, women of all castes, all religions and all walks of life are travelling for free," He told news agency PTI.

READ | BMTC bus travel with only 1 passenger from Bengaluru airport, netizens laud them

The decision was taken in a bid to conserve the environment and also promote public transport in the city, which faces commute and traffic issues on the regular.

"Due to our guarantees, the purchasing power of people and the economic activity of the state is also increasing. These schemes save a lot of money for labourers, farmers and women. They use that money for other needs of their family. Thus, the economic power of millions of families is also increasing," The chief minister said.

"About 4.30 crore people of the state are directly benefiting from the government guarantee schemes. By that, the poor and working classes are being brought into the mainstream of economic progress," he added.

READ | Shakti scheme in Karnataka clocks 100 crore free rides in five months. Details

"Through economic empowerment, financial independence has been achieved for all women, poor, working class and middle class families in the state. The Congress government had come to power to achieve this. The previous BJP regime did nothing to empower people. Instead, they are criticising," he further stated.

(With inputs from PTI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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