Resume Bengaluru-Gadag Volvo bus service, says ex-India cricketer Sunil Joshi

Bengaluru:  Former India cricketer Sunil Joshi has asked for resuming the Volvo bus service between Bengaluru and Gadag, which he said was cancelled without any reason being assigned. 

Joshi, a Gadag native settled in Bengaluru, said an Airavat (Volvo semi-sleeper) bus service was launched on the sector before the 2023 Assembly elections after he had raised the matter with the then-Transport minister B Sriramulu. However, the service has since been discontinued, he added. 

"Why was it discontinued? Clearly, it wasn't because of low demand. There are a lot of people who travel between Bengaluru and Gadag, and the Volvo bus service was a good option for them. The service should be resumed as soon as possible," Joshi told DH. 

The ace left-arm spinner said it would be "unfair" to deprive Gadag of the Volvo bus service when other small towns had been connected to Bengaluru through premium services. 

Joshi raised the issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and Gadag District In-charge Minister H K Patil to look into it. 

Currently, the Bengaluru-Gadag route doesn't have any AC or even sleeper bus service. 

Priyanga M, Managing Director, North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), said the Bengaluru-Gadag route would soon be served with Pallakki (non-AC sleeper) buses. 

Responding to Joshi's tweet, the NWKRTC said the Volvo bus operated on the Bengaluru-Gadag route belonged to the Bengaluru division. "There has been no information from the Bengaluru division regarding the cancellation of this service," it stated.