Entrepreneur Mohan Das Pai and Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy recently engaged in a heated exchange on social media over the state of Bengaluru’s public transport and the role of private operators.
Karnataka minister Ramalinga Reddy argued that Pai’s opinion only focuses on financial aspects and ignores the social role of public transport. (ht file)The argument erupted after Pai criticized the state’s management of public transport, calling the existing system ineffective. Taking to X, Pai tagged the transport minister in a post for what he described as policy-driven delays and said opening up the sector to private bus services could help improve connectivity and efficiency.
Pai alleged that Karnataka has lacked adequate public transport for the past three years. “All we have got is shortage of buses and lack of public transport for the last 3 years. (Also) please allow private buses to operate,” Pai wrote.
The former Infosys chief finance officer accused Reddy of failing to ensure adequate public transport due to an inflexible mindset.
“Why? People need public transport, regardless of who provides it,” he said, tagging Deputy Chief Minister DK Sivakumar.
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Reddy challenged Pai to a public debateResponding to criticism, Reddy defended the performance of state-run transport corporations and challenged Pai for face-to-face talks.
“Mr @TVMohandaspai, our BMTC MD is good enough to hold a face-to-face debate with you on any platform. Please come and directly discuss the incident with him. Are you ready to take action, or will you just keep tweeting?,” Reddy said in a post.
The minister argued that Pai’s views focused only on financial aspects and ignored the social role of public transport.
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“You (pie) look at a public service and see a balance sheet; I look at it and see 1.5 crore citizens,” he added.
The minister highlighted the power projectReddy highlighted the impact of the government’s Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for women.
“We have crossed 650 crore free travel for women. This is not just a ‘scheme’; it is the greatest mobility-led economic empowerment in India’s history,” she said.
He also explained how state transport services balance profit and social responsibility.
“Social Service” Equilibrium: Unlike individual players, we don’t cherry-pick. 30 percent of our routes run at a loss to ensure that a student in a remote village and a rural citizen have a bus. 30 percent work at intervals. 40 percent (long-distance) earns a profit of 8 percent across villages. That way you serve a society, not a board of directors,” said Reddy.
According to the minister, Karnataka operates 26,054 buses, serving about 45 lakh passengers daily in Bengaluru alone.
“With 1,686 electric buses — a fleet of 7,108 buses — we cover 1.3 lakh km and 66,000 trips per day, the highest in India. Show me a single BJP-ruled city or state, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, that can match this scale and efficiency,” he said.
Reddy said that over 5,800 new buses have been added in the last two years. He further said that more than 2,000 more buses will be commissioned by March 2026.
The minister also took aim at the previous BJP government, alleging that bus procurement was stopped during its tenure.
“During BJP rule (2019-2023), when bus links were frozen and corporations were left to rot, why didn’t you raise a single question? Why do your “corporate concerns” arise only when a pro-people government is working,” he said.
Reddy cautioned that private operators focus only on profits and withdraw services when revenues fall.
“A private monopoly will be a crushing burden on the poor. Public transport is a right, not a luxury. Our PSUs are here to stay, serve and lead Karnataka,” he added.
