A planned strike by the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association is set to affect normal life in Bengaluru on Monday, September 11. The strike has been called over demands to ban bike taxis and private buses. A number of private buses, autorickshaws, cabs and even school buses, are likely to go off the roads on Monday with the bandh affecting commute to schools, offices and transport hubs like railway stations and airports.
State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the government was open to discussion, but that the Association was insistent on going through with the planned strike. “So, we have begun preparations to ensure the inconvenience to the public is minimised,” Ramalinga Reddy told reporters.
With the planned strike expected to affect the transport of school buses in Bengaluru, some schools are considering declaring a holiday on Monday.
A total of 32 private transport unions have called for the strike with a series of demands including a ban on bike taxis and private buses, and extension of the Shakti scheme that offers free bus rides to women on state transport buses to private buses as well.
Tanveer Pasha, President of Ola, Uber Drivers and Owners Association, told TNM that they have told individual drivers to decide whether to join the strike on Monday. "They will decide whether they will log in or log off,” he said.