BMTC

From Davanagere to Denmark, they discuss namma traffic. From Shivamogga to Sunnyvale, silk board has a reputation. But how did we get here? Could it have been avoided? We believe so. Unlike any other metro, Bengaluru did not get the benefits of a mass public transport system in all these years. Bus is our only lifeline carrying nearly 45 lakh passengers every day - with hardly 6500 buses and no attention given to it. We have the highest bus fares in the country! Metro is being built now and it will take another six years before it connects most of…

Bengaluru is a city which has far oustripped its original population for which it was designed. From a population of approximately 15 lakhs in the 1970s, to an estimated 110 lakhs today (source: Draft Revised Master Plan 2018), the city’s population has burgeoned beyond limits, and stands at the cusp of further explosive growth to 210 lakh plus by 2031 (the end year of RMP 2031). Transport planning for such a huge population is very important, and cannot depend on piecemeal solutions. That’s where elevated corridors come into picture. Modal shares and extrapolation Many conflicting numbers are being passed around…

It has been two years since the Metro was launched between Mysore Road and Byappanahalli. Since the day it opened, it has been my main transport to get to work. So much so that I can’t think of any other way of commuting to work! The issue since then has always been the last mile, the last 6kms from the station to the office. I decided to go with BMTC and the results have been mixed. On mornings, it would take anywhere between 20 mins and 45 mins for that distance, not considering traffic. Evenings, it took anywhere from 25…

With Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s maiden budget reviving the pod taxi for five stretches in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 1445 crores, several eyebrows have been raised in questions over what makes the government favour it as a possible solution to the city’s traffic nightmare. Interestingly, the idea of pod taxis isn't as new as one would imagine. Indian cities have seen similar experiments before: The Chembur - Wadala - Maharaja Chowk monorail project, the airport feeder metro built by the Delhi Metro as a PPP project which was subsequently converted into the orange line. Both have had their…

Travelling within Bengaluru City has become a chronic nightmare for all its citizens. Even as people grapple with never-ending traffic jams, the government has come up with various ideas to solve the issue, including the much debated elevated flyover and the pod taxi project. But are decision makers losing sight of the broader context and framework within which the traffic situation must be viewed? Is there a deep enough understanding of the nuances that need to be considered for the gridlock to be broken and the efficiency of solutions multiplied? Talking to Citizen Matters, Professor Ashish Verma deconstructs the overall…

Eight years ago, a bunch of us were discussing on Praja.in about commuter rail routes and reviewing its potential for changing the transportation scene in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region of 8,000 sqkms. In one of the comments, I had proposed that we use the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) as a hub for rail as well, so a new transport hub for passengers is created. Let’s look at what we might achieve by doing this. Economic growth of a country depends on the productivity of the economy. Efficient, intelligent usage of Labour and Capital investments determine productivity. Where we deploy investments…

State transport department in dire need of funds  Transport Minister DC Thammanna has said that the state transport corporations BMTC, NEKRTC, and NWKRTC have run into annual losses worth Rs 600 crore, and a fare hike may be inevitable if operations are to be continued. The decreasing fuel efficiency (mileage) of buses caused by halting in congested, traffic-ridden roads and additional taxes for fuel have only added to the debt, the minister complained. In order to make profits and generate some revenue, a proposal for a 20% hike in bus fares has already been made. The matter is being considered by the…

A press note from the Information Department, government of Karnataka, says that BMTC is issuing student passes for the convenience of the students at concessional rates. An online system has been introduced this time, to avoid inconvenience to students like submission of documents and standing in the queues. This system is directly integrated with the Education Department database, where student can directly apply through Education Institutions or directly by themselves through e-form. This article lists the procedure to be followed for online application of student passes. For details of the updated service launched in 2019, click here.  Type: Upto 10th…

Elevated roads, transport authority and soapnut-based detergent industry: Six elevated corridors have hit the headlines once again, with the H D Kumaraswamy-led Co-alition government affirming the commitment to this decades-old plan in the state Budget presented on July 5. Other decisions include a 100-crore aid for BMTC, and formation of Integrated Road Transport Authority (IRTA). Source: Deccan Herald BBMP discusses lake encroachments and waste management: The BBMP council meeting held on June 28 discussed the necessity of buffer zone for lakes to construct buildings, which is contrary to the NGT's order in 2014 on no construction zone within 75 metres…

Every morning hundreds of tempo travellers traverse IT corridor routes including Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road in Bengaluru. On their way to picking up their customers’ employees, they also ferry commuters waiting on the way for public transport, illegally of course. It is no secret that there are many private buses too plying from K.R. Market or Anand Rao Circle, to the outskirts. Some of them have just a contract carriages license, and some service organisations. A colleague of mine reports college buses plying in the evening near Race Course Road, carrying regular passengers to pre-defined destinations within the…