BMTC ignoring us, say senior citizens

BMTC ignoring us, say senior citizens
VIJAY TIMES NEWS

Bangalore: The Bangalore Metropolitan T ransport Corporation (BMTC) seems to have ignored the travel travails of the eld erly denizens of the City , if the seats reserved for them in BMTC buses is anything to go by: A meagre two! Despite thousands of people above the age of 60 using BMTC buses daily , a mere two seats is woefully inadequate, say senior citizens.

Lakshmi Narayan, a retired central govt employee who commutes regularly , says, "The two seats are usually occupied by others, including women. W e either occupy the general seats or have to travel standing. The elderly have health problems, and by standing, we get exhausted by the time we reach our destination," he adds.

V enkatesh Murthy , a retired teacher , says the BMTC should introduce a pass exclusively for people aged above 60.

BMTC authorities, however , say that 20 seats are already reserved in each bus for women, the physically challenged and the elderly .

"In a total of 60, it is not possible to reserve more seats. W e will face protests from other commuters. The elderly can use the general seats", said Dastagir Sharieff, chief traffic manager (Operations) BMTC.

On the issuance of passes for the elderly , he said the heavily subsidised monthly and daily commuter passes are being availed by all commuters, irrespective of their age.

BMTC officials add that a senior citizens’ commuter pass was in circulation in the early eighties, but was discontinued due to financial reasons.