Road Transport Department

Karnataka > Road Transport Department

Till 1989, called as Motor Vehicle Department, it was started in 1957 and entrusted with the work of registration and tax collection of motor vehicles, issuing of permits, driver's and conductor's licences etc., to the public. At the time of integration of Karnataka, there were 25,976 registered motor vehicles. Their total number stood at 17,18,494 in 1992­93. Among the vehicles, the two wheelers were 12,30,200 and 1,59,888 were motor cars . Besides Commercial Vehicles, those on the farm front too, received a boost with the increase in the number of tractors from 20,561 in 1956-57 to 52,592 in 1992-93. The total number of motor vehicles in the State as on 31-3-1994 was 1,87,537 which included 1,67,207 motor cars, 20,237 buses (including 16,190 K.S.R.T.C. buses) and 81,869 goods carriers. As on December 1999, there were 32,60,663 registered motor vehicles in the State. They include 23,38,021 two wheelers, 3,00,687 Motor Cars, 38,990 Jeeps, 16,711 Cabs, 1,16,487 goods vehicles, 27,743 Omni Buses, 1,40,238 Autorikshaws, 20,876 K.S.R.T.C. Buses, 6,302 Private Buses, 98,406 Tractors, 99,015 Trailers, 574 Contract Carriers, besides 56,713 other vehicles with an overall increase of 9.17% during 98-99. By March 2000, there were 33,51,076 motor vehicles registered in the state with Bangalore division having highest number (17,84,812) of registered motor vehicles in the State. The same had gone up to 44,61,105 by the end of March 2003. It included 32,45,652 motor cycles and scooters, 4,28,437 motor cars, 24,032 cabs, 1,74,151 Autorikshaws 40,930 Omni buses, 1,48,025 goods vehicles and 3,99,878 other vehicles.

The Transport Commissioner is the Chairman of the Karnataka State Transport Authority, a Quasi-Judicial body, in accordance with section 68 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This Authority has two other official members also and it grants permits to tourist or passenger vehicles or goods carriages as per Inter-State Agreements. The Regional Transport Authorities under this State office grants permit to the transport vehicles or renew or cancel them.

This department is authorised to issue both Driver's and Conductor's Licences and by the end of December 1999, 28,12,183 driver's and 3,84,679 conductor's licences were issued. Likewise, by December 2002, they went upto 35,56,560 and 37,30,797 respectively. Under the scheme of issuing Plastic Driving License Cards, the Transport Department had issued 2,40,285 Blue Plastic Cards for two wheelers, 40,789 Green Plastic Cards to LMVs, 1,53,219 Red Plastic Cards to both two wheelers and LMVs and 5,667 Khaki Plastic Cards to HTVs were issued since 1985.

As per the Central Govt. Motor Vehicle Act of 1989, to check air pollution, Transport Department has made Smoke Emission Control Test compulsory in the State since 1993 and as a result, there were 218 Smoke Emission Checking Centres in the State, of which 115 are in Bangalore. Since January 1998, the government has restricted issuing Auto permits in Bangalore city. Autorikshaw drivers' accident relief fund has been created to provide a relief of Rs. 50,000 to the family of the auto drivers who die or permanently become disabled due to accidents. The department has earned a revenue of Rs 320 crores at the end of December 1999. Computerisation of the department is under progress. Radio Taxi facilities being introduced in Bangalore city to provide better transport facilities to the publics and at present 126 radio taxis are serving on the roads of Bangalore. It is proposed to provide the same facility even to the other important towns like Mysore, Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum.