Over 60 L people in Bengaluru travelled in BMTC free buses on August 15

On August 15, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) celebrated the 25th anniversary and a record number of commuters had accessed the free bus rides that were offered by the public transport. The BMTC released the numbers on Thursday and thanked all the commuters for using the public transport to reach their destinations.

According to a statement by the BMTC, a total of 5051 buses were operated on Independence Day in all parts of the city. The number of passengers that took the ride in the public transport buses on that day stood at 61, 47, 323. The number is said to be much higher than the estimated daily average of commuters who board these buses. Roughly, only 28 lakh people use BMTC buses on the regular days, said the statement.

The sharp increase in the number of people who used public transport buses on August 15 has also raised a question of BMTC ticket prices on normal days. Few people on the internet agreed that the average number will definitely increase if ticket prices are decreased and this will also encourage people to use public transport amid regular traffic woes in Bengaluru.

On August 14, BMTC introduced 75 new electric buses to the roads of the city and the government of Karnataka has dedicated these buses to the citizens of Bengaluru.