Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned public road transport corporation company in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to the state in Karnataka and connects it to the rest of the state and the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union territory of Puducherry. In June 2021, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation KSRTC responded to a challenge by Karnataka with respect to the use of acronym KSRTC by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trade Marks, which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. But since Kerala had registered the name in 1965 and Karanataka copied it much later in 1975, The case was transferred to the Madras Highcourt and it ruled that since Karnataka SRTC had purchased the domain names online without verification, in advance and both states can use the acronym KSRTC inorder to deescalate any dispute. As of April 2024, it has a fleet strength of more than 25000 vehicles.

History

Foundation

Mysore Government Road Transport Department was inaugurated on 12 September 1948 with 120 buses. The transport department of The Mysore state administered it until 1961.

Corporatization

It was subsequently converted into an independent corporation under Section 3 of the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950 on 1 August 1961, In 1961, after successfully converting into an independent corporation all assets and liabilities of MGRTD were transferred to Mysore State Road Transport Corporation.

Merger

On 1 October 1961, Bangalore Transport Service was merged with it.

Renaming

On 1 November 1973, the Mysore state was renamed as Karnataka, thus Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.

Bifurcation

On 15 August 1997, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of Bangalore Metropolitan Region. It was formed by separating the Bangalore Transport Service.
On 1 November 1997, North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of Northwestern parts of Karnataka.
On 15 August 2000, Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (then North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation) was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of northeastern parts of Karnataka. This left the corporation to serve the southern part of Karnataka.
On 23 November 2009, Bijapur division was transferred from NWKRTC to KKRTC.

Destination

It serves routes to all 31 districts in Karnataka and as well as to towns and cities in the southern part of Karnataka and connects it to the rest of the state and the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union territory of Puducherry.

Services

Former services

'Shakti Scheme' Free Bus Service for women

'Shakti Scheme' was announced by the Second Siddaramaiah ministry on 2 June 2023. It started on 11 June 2023, providing free-of-charge bus service to Karnataka-domiciled women. Beneficiaries show their government-issued photo identity and address proof for the first three months. Bus conductors issue them zero-fare tickets. Thereafter, beneficiaries obtain Shakti smartcards (named after the name of the scheme) through an application submitted via the government's Seva Sindhu website .

Terms and conditions of the scheme

The scheme will apply to all four Road Transport Corporations in the state (KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC).
Nagara Sarige, Gramantara Sarige, Karnataka Sarige, Vayavya Nagara Sarige, Vayavya Gramantara Sarige, Vayavya Karnataka Sarige, Kalyana Nagara Sarige, Kalyana Gramantara Sarige, Kalyana Karnataka Sarige, Bengaluru Sarige, Samparka and Astra services will be part of the scheme.
Women can travel for free only on bus services within the state. Bus services to destinations outside Karnataka will be outside the scheme's purview even if women travel within the state. For example, a woman travelling to Mangaluru in Karnataka i.e., within the state on an Udupi-Kasaragod bus service which is an interstate service to Kasaragod in neighbouring Kerala, will have to buy a ticket.
The scheme will not apply to luxury buses (Rajahamsa Executive Class, Airavat Class, Airavat Club Class, Pallakki Class, Amoghavarsha Class, Ambaari Class, Ambaari Dream Class, Ambaari Utsav Class, Kalyana Ratha Class, Fly Bus, EV- Power Plus+, Bengaluru Darshini, Vajra and Vayu Vajra services).
Half of the seats on KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC's ordinary and express buses will be reserved for men. Luxury, AC and interstate buses as well as BMTC buses will be exempted from this.
The government will reimburse the RTCs based on the distance women travel.

Karnataka's Road Transport Undertakings

KSRTC, Bangalore: Operates out of Southern Karnataka.
NWKRTC, Hubli: Operates out of North-Western Karnataka except Bijapur district.
KKRTC, Gulbarga: Operates out of North-Eastern Karnataka and Bijapur district.
BMTC, Bangalore: Operates in Bangalore Metropolitan Region offering transit service.

Namma Cargo Logistics and Parcel Services

Namma Cargo Logistics and Parcel Services was launched on 26 February 2021. It provides cargo and parcel services on the routes in which The KSRTC (Karnataka), NWKRTC and KKRTC buses travel.

References