No Headlights, Just a Mobile Torch: KKRTC Bus Travels 84 Km in Darkness as Conductor Guides Driver

Forget flashy innovation showcases, Karnataka's public transport department has apparently unveiled its own version of cutting edge engineering, a mobile phone acting as a headlight. A viral video from Kalaburagi shows a KKRTC bus on the last scheduled service to Chincholi , a stretch of nearly 84 kilometres, running through pitch dark roads with completely nonfunctional headlights. Rather than halting the service or arranging a replacement vehicle, the crew pressed on, with the conductor leaning out to shine a mobile phone torch onto the road while the driver navigated blind through unseen bends.

Adding to the alarm, this was reportedly the sole bus operating this particular route, leaving no backup option when the headlights failed mid journey. The bus, registered KA 28 F 1985, departs Kalaburagi at 7.30 pm, and the incident occurred on Saturday night. Social media users have since questioned who issued the vehicle's fitness certificate in the first place, wondering how a bus with such an obvious safety flaw was cleared for night service at all.

The timing has proven especially awkward, arriving just after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar announced a hike in Karnataka's bus fares, a detail that has fuelled sharp mockery online over paying more for distinctly less. Students and rural residents , the commuters most affected on this stretch, are now demanding urgent repairs and a proper replacement vehicle.

Predictably, the political blame game has followed. The BJP accused the Congress government of allowing "everything to fall into disarray," asking how a government unable to manage basic public transport can be expected to run the state. The JD(S) echoed the criticism, calling the episode a reflection of the "pathetic state of governance" under the ruling party's guarantee schemes. Compounding matters, the state reportedly owes around Rs 4,573 crore in pending Shakti scheme reimbursements across all four state transport corporations , raising real questions about whether cash strapped RTCs can even afford basic maintenance, let alone headlights.

As of now, neither KKRTC nor the state transport department has issued any official statement, and it remains unclear whether the vehicle has been withdrawn for repairs or whether any action has been initiated against those responsible. For a state currently defending its governance record, this is one video that leaves rather a lot in the dark.