BMTC

Having exact change is the best way to avoid clashes with conductors. Pic: Shree D N She steps into a BMTC bus in some part of Bangalore; asks for ticket, paying Rs.100; conductor says he doesn't have change. Argument over change turns ugly, as she doesn't understand what the conductor is speaking in Kannada. Not able to control her anger, she slaps him. Result: She ends up in judicial custody, for assaulting the conductor. (Src: Bangalore Mirror) What Swati faced is a historical problem in buses everywhere in India - not just Bangalore. Bus conductors usually don't have change; some…

Dear Sir, Let me introduce myself. I am one of those estimated 48 Lakh commuters who use public transport to get to work. I travel, on average, 50 kms both ways in a day. It takes me 3 to 3.5 hours to do the same. I buy monthly passes every month and I have seen my spending go from Rs. 1350 per month just two years ago to Rs.1800 now. During this time, the cost of diesel has gone from Rs. 46.21 to Rs. 54.82. An 18% hike in fuel has meant a 33% hike in the pass rates. There…

Traffic congestion due to increased private vehicles and expensive public transport, respiratory diseases from polluted air, pedestrians' problems owing to poor roads and footpaths et al, have become a part of life of Bangalore. Here are some disturbing realities and possible remedies to these interlinked challenges. A joint discussion held by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), in Bangalore on March 22, 2013 rated the Karnataka capital among 14 Indian cities which have high particulate pollution. They warned that it may enter the ‘critical’ category if the situation is not addressed…

Members belonging to Loksatta political party on Saturday, 6 July 2013, protested against the hike in BMTC and KSRTC bus fares. They gathered at Shanthinagar bus stand and distributed pamphlets to bus commuters and the public. They raised slogans against the government for not reducing the burden on public. Loksatta members protesting in Shantinagar bus stand against BMTC bus fare hike Party working committee member Ravi Krishnareddy who spoke at the protest site, said that reducing the BMTC fare by Re. 1/- is just an eye wash. Very few people who commute within the first stage might get the benefit,…

The campaign against the bus fare hike by the Bangalore Bus Prayaanikara Vedike has been going on for the past one week. On Friday June 28, the Vedike held a protest outside the BMTC office and submitted a memorandum (scanned copy and English version attached) to the GM, BMTC. The GM promised to review the fare-hike decision and also call for a meeting. However, the very same day, the BMTC MD once again issued a public statement declaring that the fare hike will not be taken back at any cost. We have also not heard from BMTC on whether they…

  The BMTC bus commuters finally have something to cheer about. They can now check the buses on the routes they want, and keep the exact amount of change ready, thanks to the BMTC website that provides every possible information that's helpful for a commuter. The website, mybmtc.com, launched early this May, is user-friendly with attractive features. The information process system is at par with the needs of the urban and sub-urban areas. The website has both English and Kannada languages. All the bus stations have been listed along with the contact numbers for major stations like Kempegowda (Majestic), Shivajinagar…

The buses never stick to timings and hence lose the faith of the commuter. File pic. Fares on Bangalore’s public transport buses (BMTC) were hiked last month, and the reason for justifying the hike was that diesel prices and staff salaries had risen. Following protests, the public have been promised that the decision would be “reconsidered.” But as a commuter I am raising a wider issue – the obligation in a public service undertaking  to ensure that all alternative avenues of closing the gap between rising costs on the one hand and revenues generated on the other, are exhausted before…

Vinay Sreenivasa, one of the indefatigable volunteers of Hasiru Usiru, writes:   Dear All,   As you may all be aware, the BMTC has biked bus fares by 16%, with the minimum rate now Rs. 6BMTC has been increasing the fares steeply every few months and the rate has almost doubled in the last 3 years.As a result even bus-travel has become unaffordable for a large number of people and they are forced to either walk or cut down on other essential expenditure.   Bus users in the city are a huge block (more than 40 lakhs) but as of now there…

The bus fare increases are irrational, and unnecessary. There are at least three things which are wrong, and if these are fixed the bus service could be a lot better without needing to over-charge the poor. a) The government needs to recognise, in its budget, that bus service is a public service that needs subsidy. All over the world public transport is subsidised, because it is well-known that the positive values that result - lower congestion, for example - are far in excess of the subsidy itself. For some reason, the Karnataka government has steadfastly refused to subsidise the BMTC.…

It was one of those humid and dry Bangalore summer days when I stepped out with my friend and future roommate Manjusha to look out for accommodation in the city. The journey from Kumbalgodu to Marathalli took the two of us almost three whole hours. We weren’t discouraged as we were in one of those victorious moods – we were recruited by a leading news agency.It was a prestigious and laudable moment in our lives; hence the long BMTC journey seemed very petty. Our bus halted at this seemingly bizarre location, which looked like a cross between a highway and…