Mohandas Pai, a former Infosys CFO based in Bengaluru, has urged the Karnataka government to significantly expand the city’s electric bus fleet after the new government of neighboring Tamil Nadu state said all government buses procured in the future will be air-conditioned.
Reacting to this development, Pai tagged Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in a post on X and said that the neighboring state is forging ahead while Karnataka has failed to roll out its approved fleet of electric buses.
“@DKShivakumar please see. Our neighbors are moving fast. Our government is sitting on an approved quota of 4000 EV buses, treating our citizens poorly, making our lives miserable. Please act. Get 15,000 EV AC buses for Bengaluru!” Bay wrote.
Check out his post here
He was responding to Indian writer Manu Joseph’s post on X, in which Joseph wrote, “This CM has turned out to be the best in India. All public transport in a tropical country should be air-conditioned.”
Pai’s remarks came after Tamil Nadu Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthipan said the state would procure only air-conditioned government buses from now on, conveying Chief Minister C.K.’s directive. Joseph Vijay that all future government bus purchases must have air conditioning facilities.
Also Read: Tamil Nadu govt to buy only AC buses from now: CM Vijay’s new directive
Pai criticized the Karnataka government for what he described as delay in adding electric buses to Bengaluru’s public transport system. He claimed that the government is yet to release its approved quota of 4,000 electric buses and called for a fleet of 15,000 AC electric buses for the city.
Pai has been a strong advocate for improving public transport and civic infrastructure in Bengaluru, often calling for increased investment in buses, metro connectivity and sustainable mobility.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also raised concerns about public transport in Bengaluru, saying commuters are still facing long waiting times despite the change in the state’s leadership. In a post on X, Transport Minister Birati Suresh urged transport agencies to prioritize reliable and frequent public transport in the city.
“Should people spend their time working, or stand on the side of the road waiting?” Soria wrote, adding that he reported this issue months ago but not much has changed.
