BMTC

It was the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. And Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) I-day gift to Bangaloreans was free rides on its buses for that one day. August 15th saw 61,47,323 passengers use BMTC buses, as compared to the average of 28 lakh passengers on other days when commuters have to pay for their bus ride. For BMTC it was a double celebration, as announced by its chief traffic manager on August 18th. A record ridership and the corporation’s 25th birthday. Perhaps there was cause for a triple celebration. As on that day, Tata Motors announced that it had won…

15th August 2022 is our 75th Independence Day as well as the 25th Anniversary of BMTC. In light of this, BMTC has announced that all buses, including Vajra (AC) and Vayu Vajra (Airport Service), will be free. Recently, some of us passionate bus lovers came together as “Friends of BMTC”, with the aim to create more awareness about bus services in our city. We noticed that many in our city shy away from using the bus due to a lack of information. Many want to use the bus instead of their car, but find it difficult to figure out which…

This January, as part of a larger programme to make all bus travel free, Boston city set aside eight million dollars to introduce free bus travel on certain routes. Making bus travel free was first tried out in US in the 1970s. The idea caught on and by 2017, 96 such programmes have been recorded globally. In India, Delhi has presently made free bus travel free for women. Can Bengaluru think along similar lines? The city's bus network BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) currently has among the highest fares in the country, making it unaffordable to many. Besides, the city…

As the second wave of COVID has abated, Bengalureans are getting out and about. Many need transport services to go to work or for chores, but bus services by the BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) are yet to catch up. In fact, the services have not even gotten back to the levels of last March, just before the second wave struck.  Bus numbers and schedules lower than in March During the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, BMTC had stopped all of its services except those for frontline workers. Services started picking up gradually, especially after the first wave of…

First electric bus unveiled Bengaluru’s first electric bus, nine-metre-long and non-AC, was unveiled by Transport Minister B Sriramulu. The bus can run 120 km on a single charge, and carry 33 passengers. The BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) had got the e-bus built by the Uttar Pradesh-based JBM Auto Limited.  This is the first of 90 electric buses to be inducted by BMTC by December. Each bus will cost Rs 90 lakh, of which about Rs 60 lakh is contributed by grants from the Smart Cities Mission. Over the next three years, the fleet might expand to 500. The first…

With Bengaluru becoming the most traffic-congested city in the world in 2020, mass transit is the key ingredient for a sustainable, low carbon footprint future and the only solution to decongest Bengaluru's roads. However, the perception that cost effective transport options are primarily for use by the economically weaker section of the society, is a big worry.  The extensive bus network of Bengaluru, with a fleet size of over 6775 buses, is the largest in India, and among the 20 largest in the world. Why then is it not leveraged as a solution to its traffic congestion? Even with the…

In Part 1 of this series, we saw how BMTC's ridership is affected by the corporation's slashing of services post COVID. In this part, we explore how BMTC can sustain services in these difficult times, despite its severe losses. Across the world, public transport corporations are reeling under losses during COVID. There is hardly a corporation that is recovering without government support, say transport experts. Dr Ashish Verma, Associate Professor, Transportation Systems Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, has been reviewing case studies on the topic from across the world. "The experience is similar everywhere. As long as there…

Afeena, a domestic worker, does not commute by BMTC bus anymore. Ever since COVID's onset, bus services to her workplace has reduced so much that she is forced to either walk nearly 4 km or hire an autorickshaw every day. The recent BMTC staff strike cut off public transport in the city, but even before this, many loyal BMTC commuters had been affected after the corporation reduced its services due to COVID-induced revenue losses. According to the data BMTC shared with this reporter, in March end (before the staff strike), BMTC was running only 5,320 buses out of its fleet…

Bus strike continues, trainee staff fired Karnataka road transport corporation employees have announced that their strike will continue until the government hikes their salaries as per the 6th Pay Commission, and offers them the same benefits as government employees. The government said it has agreed to eight out of nine of the workers' demands, and was considering a salary hike of 8%. On Thursday, BMTC fired 96 trainees for boycotting work. Citizens dependent on BMTC fleet turned to private buses, autos and taxis to commute to work. Some passengers at Majestic and Mysuru Satellite bus stands accused private operators of…

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike has urged the government to make ‘affordable service for all’ a key goal in its bus rejuvenation plan for the city. In a petition addressed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, the BBPV elaborated the impact of pandemic on the public transport corporation and made suggestions for the government's proposed rejuvenation plan for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Over the past year Bengaluru saw diminished bus operations. People struggled with long wait times, crowded buses and costly commutes during the pandemic. BMTC struggled with low revenues and was unable to provide timely benefits and social…