12 Bus Days till date.

Officials say the initiative has been successful and it will begin the second year of Bus Day on Friday. It’s been a year since the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) initiated the Bus Day programme. Started on February 4, 2010, BMTC introduced extra buses along twelve corridors of the city on the 4th of every month. Studies indicated that at least 5,000 cars were off roads on this day, bringing down pollution levels considerably. (Source: Times of India)

But is Bus Day really a success. Did it encourage commuters to use BMTC for one day or regularly? I really don’t know about these things. But when I look back at the last one year what were my problems and how did the event affect common man? (Aam Admi).

Till the end of 2009 I used to buy regular ticket and commute from BTM to Shivaji Nagar the ticket fare was Rs 9. Everyday we had to argue with the Conductor for not giving Re 1 back. In 2010, to avoid these, I bought a daily pass costing Rs 25 but I travel only 1 hour to office and 1 hour back home. So it was a loss for me. Then by mid 2010, I applied for monthly pass. But unfortunately my office shifted to Indiranagar. Now I have monthly pass but here i am fighting not with conductor but with commutors who deliberately block our way and some trying their luck to pick pockets. Some conductors are so good that they tell techies travelling to Dell or Domlur, "Beware of pick pockets – one pick pocket team has entered the bus".

Construction work of underpass near Ayyaapa temple started, this added to the traffic problem and we have to walk though Maruthi Nagar road to reach Ayyappa temple or Madiwala Masjid to save time and escape from Silkboard traffic. We still waste our time as driver in 201 M/A delays deliberately. So taking BMTC 201 M/A is not a wise idea. So daily walking from BTM via Maruthi Nagar to Koramangala Water Tank was routine for commuters who were commuting this route to Indiranagar.

From Koramangala water tank we used to travel 201G, 201Q etc (except 201 M/A). Under construction work got over and road was opened to public but even today, 201 M/A bus from Madiwala to Indira Nagar continues to waste commuters time and 201 G or 201 Q are always full. So we had to depend on private cabs. This was better as it would reach our destination faster and fare is as same as of BMTC’s Rs 10 upto KFC Indiranagar or CMH road. Last week due to hike in price of fuel, some cabs hiked Rs 2 but some cabs still accept Rs 10.

Now I have bought a two-wheeler and commuting in that which saves my time but fuel cost is high but we have no other option. So in short, I who believed in green living, car-pooling, using public transport now have to use private vehicle for reaching office in time. So the question to ask is is BMTC Bus Day a success.

To be frank I don’t have any personal problem with BMTC or the Karnataka Government but it is true that some BMTC drivers and conductors not only waste our precious time but also bring blackmark to these organizations (BMTC). I am just bringing the issues that we common man in Karnataka face every day. ⊕