Women in DK and Udupi can avail free travel facility on 644 KSRTC buses from today afternoon

Women in DK and Udupi can avail free travel facility on 644 KSRTC buses from today afternoon

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 11, 2023: Women can travel for free on government buses across Karnataka from 1 pm on Sunday as the Congress government rolls out the first of its five poll guarantees. Under Shakti scheme initiative allows women in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts to access the facility on 644 buses, which make 3,512 trips daily.

The Mangaluru Division of the KSRTC operates a total of 303 buses, including 51 city buses, 104 ordinary buses, and 148 express buses. These buses make 509, 576, and 303 trips respectively every day. Meanwhile, the Puttur Division operates 341 buses, consisting of 222 ordinary buses and 119 express buses. They make 1,716 and 262 trips daily, according to a communique from the KSRTC.

Additionally, the NWKRTC and KKRTC run 120 express trips and 181 ordinary trips from Mangaluru. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will launch the scheme in Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao will inaugurate it at the Bejai bus terminal in Mangaluru. Udupi in-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar will do the same at the Dr. V.S. Acharya bus stand in Bannanje, Udupi, at 12:30 p.m.

The scheme is open to women and sexual minorities, including girls, who are domiciled in Karnataka. They can travel without any distance restrictions throughout the state on all ordinary and express services provided by the KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and Kalyana Karnataka RTC. However, this facility is not available on premium services such as Rajahamsa and above classes. Advance reservations can be made through www.ksrtc.in or at KSRTC booking counters.

To avail the free travel facility, women must carry one of the following original ID proofs or present them digitally through DigiLocker to verify their residency in Karnataka: Aadhaar card, Electoral Photo Identity (EPIC) card, driving license, ID cards issued by central or state government departments or public sector undertakings containing their residential address, or an ID card issued by the Department for the Welfare of the Disabled, Karnataka.