The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (Karnataka SRTC) is a state-owned public road transport corporation in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to towns and cities in the southern part of Karnataka and connects it to the rest of the state and the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union territory of Puducherry. In June 2021, Kerala SRTC was awarded the acronym KSRTC by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trade Marks, which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India when Kerala filed a case against Karnataka SRTC in response to a legal notice by the Karnataka SRTC to stop using the acronym KSRTC. As of January 2022, it has a fleet strength of 8113 buses.
History
Foundation
Mysore Government Road Transport Department was inaugurated on 12 September 1948 with 120 buses. The transport department of The Mysore state administrated it until 1961.
Corporatization
It was subsequently converted into an independent corporation under Section 3 of the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950 on 1 August 1961, In 1961, after successfully converting into an independent corporation all assets and liabilities of MGRTD were transferred to Mysore State Road Transport Corporation.
Merger
On 1 October 1961, Bangalore Transport Service was merged with it.
Renaming
On 1 November 1973, the Mysore state was renamed as Karnataka, thus Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.
Bifurcation
On 15 August 1997, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of Bangalore Metropolitan Region. It was formed by separating the Bangalore Transport Service. on 1 November 1997, North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of Northwestern parts of Karnataka. On 15 August 2000, Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (then North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation) was bifurcated to cater to the transportation needs of northeastern parts of Karnataka. This left the corporation to serve the southern part of Karnataka.
On 23 November 2009, Vijayapura division was transferred from NWKRTC to KKRTC.
Services
Karnataka Sarige: It is a non-AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher suburban chassis with a durangi livery of two colours consisting of silver and red colours. It is an interdistrict, interstate service in Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka). Gramantara Sarige: It is a non-AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher suburban chassis with a durangi livery of two colours consisting of blue and white colours. It is a service to connect villages to nearby cities and towns in Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka). Nagara Sarige: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 non-reclining seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher urban chassis with various liveries depending upon the locale. It is an intracity and town service in Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka) except for Bangalore. Bangalore Metropolitan Region is served by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation.
AC Nagara Sarige: It is a AC bus service with 2+2 non-reclining seats built on multi-axle Volvo urban chassis with various liveries depending upon the locale. It is an intracity and town service in Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka) except for Bangalore. Bangalore Metropolitan Region is served by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Samparka Sarige: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 non-reclining seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher with white-pink livery. It is a shuttle bus service between Kempegowda Bus Station and Mysuru Road Bus Station in Bangalore. Rajahamsa Executive Class: It is a non-AC ultra-deluxe bus service with 2+2 reclining seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher chassis with a white livery. It is a long-distance service operating out of Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka). Pallakki Class: It is a non-AC ultra-deluxe bus service with 2+1 lower and upper berth sleeper seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher chassis with a white livery. It is a long-distance service operating out of Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka). Airavat Class: It is an AC luxury bus service with 2+2 reclining semi-sleeper seats built on a single-axle Volvo B7R chassis with a white livery. It is a long-distance service operating out of Dakshina Karnataka (Southern Karnataka).
