August 5 Transport Strike: Karnataka State Bus Services to Halt Statewide as KSRTC, BMTC Strike Looms

A statewide transport strike is set to begin on August 5, with employees of all four Karnataka state-run transport corporations - KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC - calling for an indefinite protest. The strike is expected to disrupt bus services across urban and rural areas.

The employees are demanding a salary revision, payment of arrears, and resolution of other long-pending issues that remain unaddressed despite multiple meetings with the Karnataka government.

To tackle the expected disruption, the Transport Department has requested private bus operators to support public mobility during the strike. Officials aim to maintain connectivity across the state and prevent total transport paralysis.

However, private operators have submitted a list of demands to the government in return for their cooperation:

A 15-day road tax exemption to offset the operational burden

Implementation of the 60:40 stage carriage permit-sharing policy (60% for state-run buses, 40% for private)

A 50% waiver on penalties under Digital Surveillance Audit (DSA) cases

Strict enforcement against route and timing violations by state buses that allegedly encroach on private business zones

In a last-ditch effort to avert the strike, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met with transport union leaders at Vidhana Soudha on August 4. However, as the talks failed to resolve key issues, employees of KSRTC and BMTC have announced an indefinite strike beginning at 6 am on Tuesday, August 5. As a result, public bus services across Karnataka are expected to be suspended, causing widespread disruption for lakhs of daily commuters.