Fourteen more urban centres in the State are poised to get city transport service on the lines of the BMTC service in Bengaluru in about two months.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told presspersons here on Tuesday that the government was in the process of purchasing 1,080 buses to facilitate introduction of city transport service in 14 towns and increase the fleet of buses in 20 towns where the facility was operational.
This step was being taken to help intra-town movement of people in various urban centres where commuters depend solely on private transport, he said.
The towns and cities that would get urban transport services or where the existing service would be strengthened by adding more buses to the fleet include Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Maddur, Shivamogga, Ramanagaram, Bhadravati, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, and Sagar, he said.
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Expressing concern over the increasing instances of private transporters operating in profitable urban routes, despite having permits to operate only in rural sectors, he said the Transport Department had decided to slap penalties ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 25,000 on violators.
The Minister said the government had come out with a proposal to increase the subsidy for owners of two-stroke autorickshaws in Bengaluru from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 to buy four-stroke three-wheelers, which are environment friendly. The city has nearly 30,000 two-stroke autorickshaws, he said.