Bengaluru: Shakti scheme — which offers free bus travel for women and the first among the five guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress govt after coming to power two years ago — has seen over 475 crore tickets issued under the scheme and significantly boosted public road transport ridership from 85 lakh daily passengers to a shade over 1 crore.BMTC leads the table, having issued over 150 crore tickets, closely followed by KSRTC with 140 crore. The four transport corporations — BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC — collectively spent Rs 12,000 crore to implement the scheme.Marking the scheme’s second anniversary, a senior official involved in its implementation said that the Shakti scheme came as a major relief for road transport corporations (RTCs), which suffered immensely during the pandemic. “The increase in patronage and optimal utilisation of vehicles benefitted RTCs. The four RTCs in the state operate a fleet of 24,500 buses, of which women can travel free on 20,500. There are no distance restrictions — for instance, women can travel between Bidar and Bengaluru (approximately 700 km) on ordinary services free of cost. Additionally, RTCs are not passing toll charges onto women when they travel on toll roads.”The official noted that the scheme especially helped women in rural areas and low-income groups in urban areas. “It enabled many women to explore job opportunities and use the money saved on travel for other essential expenses, including children’s education,” the official added.According to him, compared with other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi where similar free bus travel schemes exist, Karnataka has performed better in execution.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “Over the past two years, the scheme enjoyed consistent patronage, indicating its widespread acceptance. While the state govt still owes Rs 2,000 crore in reimbursements under the scheme, it helped RTCs raise a Rs 2,000 crore loan to clear pending arrears related to provident fund, gratuity, and other employee dues. The principal and interest on the loan are being borne by the state govt. Moreover, support is being extended for the induction of 2,000 new buses.”The minister added that the total outstanding liability of the transport corporations stands at Rs 4,000 crore, primarily due to mismanagement by the previous BJP govt. “This financial burden accumulated over the years. However, compared to RTCs in other states — Delhi, for example, has a liability exceeding Rs 59,000 crore — Karnataka’s RTCs are in a relatively stronger financial position,” he said.At the time of launching the Shakti scheme, the state govt announced plans to issue dedicated smart cards to beneficiaries. However, even after two years, smart cards have not been introduced. “Currently, the system of verifying beneficiaries using Aadhaar cards is functioning well. Nevertheless, steps will be taken to implement separate smart cards for women availing the scheme,” the minister said.———-1CR TRAVERL DAILY* BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC collectively spent Rs 12,000 crore on scheme in 2 yrs* Four RTCs operate 24,500 buses, and women can travel free on 20,500* No distance barriers for women travellers* Daily ridership on these buses has improved from 85 lakh to a little over 1 crore