The new D.K. Shivakumar dispensation's decision to offer free travel in government buses to male students up to the postgraduate level in Karnataka has drawn mixed reactions from Bengaluru's civic and mobility experts.
After former chief minister Siddaramaiah implemented free bus rides for women on public buses in the state in June 2023, about 10 lakh male students will be able to avail themselves of the same facility. The Shivakumar government's decision to extend the scheme to male students will cost the exchequer ₹1,700 crore annually.
But civic and mobility experts believe that Bengaluru city has unique traffic problems that need to be handled differently. The state government had floated a proposal for 16.75km-long parallel twin tunnels from Hebbal to the Central Silk Road to ease traffic in Bengaluru. While civic experts favour Shivakumar's flagship project of smaller tunnels to address the traffic problem, mobility experts recommend more public transport so that people can share commuting.
The previous Siddaramaiah government had implemented the Shakti Scheme, one of the flagship guarantee programmes of the state government, making public bus rides free for women. The Shivakumar government will notify the free bus ride scheme for male students in the next few days.
With a huge floating population comprising migrant labourers, IT professionals and students, road widening in Bengaluru city is no longer an option.
V. Ravichandar, a civic expert in Bengaluru, said he was a proponent of small tunnels of lengths ranging from 1km to 1.5km. "Short tunnels can decongest junctions in Bengaluru city. For example, the Hebbal flyover is no longer as congested as before. What we are seeing now is that some motorists are finding alternative routes. If earlier 100 vehicles were taking that route in a minute, that has now come down to 75," said Ravichandar.
Srinivas Alavilli, programme senior fellow, Integrated Transport and Road Safety, at the World Resources Institute, India, an independent knowledge organisation, however, said that since June 2023, the daily ridership in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation had gone up from 33 lakh to 48 lakh because of the Shakti Scheme.
"Every day, 2,000 new vehicles are being added to Bengaluru's roads. We suggest that our public investments be made with a goal to increase the modal share of public transport to 70 per cent. Currently, it is less than 50 per cent. The use of private vehicles for daily office commute is the main reason for congestion," he said.