Male school and college students, who have applied for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (BMTC) bus pass for the academic year 2024-25, are facing issues.
A few students trying to get the passes have complained that they have not been getting the OTP to upload the application after getting approval from their respective educational institutions.
Only male students are asked to apply for the student passes, as the female students, who are residents of the state can travel free of cost under the Shakti scheme.
Students speak up
“The bus pass issued for the previous academic year 2023-24 expired on May 31. Last year, we were allowed to travel by producing the admission receipt till the time we got the bus pass. However, this year they have not given that option and we have to get the bus pass or buy tickets,” said a college student.
The student said he filled out the application and after getting approval from the college administration, he tried to upload it online, but even after multiple attempts, he was unable to do it.
“To complete the process, we have to provide an OTP, but we are not getting it. I tried multiple times from my side online and also visited the BangaloreOne centre. I was told that the OTP is not sent, as there is an issue with the BMTC server,” he added.
He mentioned that many students like him have to pay for their everyday travel as a result of the problems in applying for the bus pass.
“I stay in Yeshwantpur and have to travel to Yelahanka, where my college is located. I have to spend nearly Rs 50 every day on bus tickets,” he lamented.
When The New Indian Express raised the issue with a senior BMTC official, she initially maintained that all was well. But later she got back and said, “Yes, there was a technical glitch that was creating a hurdle in accepting the application on Wednesday (June 5). There were complaints from the students at the call centre. However, the issue was not from BMTC's end, but from the Seva Sindhu portal. The issue is resolved and students can apply for passes as usual.”
