Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment that allowing free travel to women in non-luxury government buses would adversely affect the revenues of Metro Rail, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday said that the revenue of the Bengaluru Metro has increased in the last year despite implementation of the Shakthi scheme.
“The number of Bengaluru metro passengers has increased by 30% in the last year. In January 2023, the number of metro passengers was 1.65 crore, and the revenue was 39.15 crore. In April 2024, the number of passengers increased to 2 crore and the revenue increased to INR 51.71 crore,” Ramalinga Reddy said.
The Shakthi scheme was implemented in the state on June 11, 2023, and till May 20, 2024, the number of women passengers who have travelled within Bengaluru under Shakti Yojana is 67.34 crore, the Minister said.
The Minister said that there has been an increase of 35 lakh metro passengers per month in 2024 compared to 2023, and revenue has increased by INR 1.10 crore per month.
“From the above figures, it is seen that the Bengaluru metro has not been affected in any way by Shakti Yojana, instead there has been a substantial increase in the metro ridership and revenue. So the Prime Minister should explain how the metro is affected by the free travel scheme,” he said.
The Minister said that it was not right for the Prime Minister to criticize the important project of strengthening public transport and empowering women the way he did.
“Transport companies are getting stronger with the implementation of the Shakti scheme. Positive feedback about this project is a sign of the successful implementation of the Shakti scheme,” he said.
“PM Modi is trying to create an illusion in the minds of the people that only the plans announced by the BJP are good. But people know the truth,” he added.
