Representative Image.
Credit: DH Photo
The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) celebrated 10 years of operations on Friday with a brief overview of their work. They also discussed the topics on which they need to lay emphasis in the future.
“It has taken us 10 years to make an impact on the system. However, there is still a lot we need to accomplish,” said Shaheen Shasa of BBPV.
She explained that activists are striving to keep the issues of buses and the voices of marginalised communities alive.
“We are fighting against the attitude of the government and the public towards public transport. We’re happy to see more people speaking up about this now,” she said.
By highlighting the challenges posed by the government’s resistance to some of their demands, such as a lack of interest in funding public transport, she underscored the need for all agencies and stakeholders to reconsider how the city is planned and developed.
“We are still working towards getting more buses — especially different kinds of buses — prioritising bus transport, and making it affordable for all. With tunnel roads and integrated corridors coming up, we are sure it will crunch space for buses.
“We are resisting such plans because it will push for motorists’ paradigms rather than enabling movement of all people in a cost-effective manner,” she said.