Passengers complain about non-availability of KSRTC buses ahead of elections

Overcrowded buses and rainfall in Bengaluru cause travel struggles for voters ahead of state elections.

The rainfall in the evening and the overcrowded buses made travelling to hometowns from Bengaluru uncomfortable for people ahead of the elections in the State, on Monday.

Thousands of passengers were at the Majestic and Yeshwantpur bus stands trying to secure tickets for private or Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses.

Prema, a resident of Yelahanka, was among the many waiting at Majestic to travel to Kalaburagi. She voiced her disappointment, saying, “Finding a bus to return home and vote has been a struggle. The frequency of buses has not been increased to meet the demand. Political leaders urge us to vote, but the government’s efforts to facilitate our travel during elections are lacking. We need more buses to ensure we can exercise our right to vote.”

Amaresh M., who was travelling with his wife and three children to Raichur, had similar complaints. “There is not a single bus to take my family home. I could not reserve seats either. There are simply not enough buses to handle the rush,” he said. 

KSRTC officials acknowledged that there was a shortage of buses. “We have sent 6,000 buses for election. But both on Sunday and Monday, our officials were at bus stands and ensured that there were buses, even if there was a slight delay,” said V. Anbu Kumar, Managing Director of KSRTC. 

Many commuters said they faced difficulties while booking tickets. Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Bannerghatta Road, who was travelling to Davangere from Yeshwanthpur, said, “I have been trying to book a ticket from 10, but I could not get it. Even train tickets are also not available. There was a long waiting list for Sunday and Monday due to the election rush. Somehow, my ticket was finally confirmed on Monday afternoon.”