Commute

Groaning as it is from an estimated loss of Rs 1019.72 crore as stated in the 'Programme for 2020-21' section of the Annual Administrative Report of 2019-20, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has now been hit by another whammy, the increase in fuel costs.. “As of July 15, 2022, there is a difference of Rs 32 per litre on diesel supplied to retail fuel stations and bulk consumers, like the BMTC,” says a source from the BMTC. That is the additional cost that BMTC is faced with as its buses line up at retail petrol pumps for their daily diesel…

A lot has been happening with the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai over the past year. The transport body has embraced technology for live tracking. The process of fleet expansion is also underway, along with the procurement of more e-buses. The 'free travel for women' scheme has been well-received and earned plaudits, in addition to increasing ridership among women. We present a round-up here of all such recent developments related to the city's most important mode of public commute, its bus service. Dedicated app and GPS tracking The much-awaited mobile application to track the movement of MTC buses in…

In a lesser-known corner of Mumbai, at Anik Depot, a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) museum has been set up showcasing the evolution of the iconic transportation company BEST, from a horse-drawn tramway service to the electric buses we see now. The Mumbai Research Centre of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai organised an educational experience to visit the museum, thanks to the kind courtesy of the BEST museum curator Yatin Pimpale who guided our group with expert inputs. The visit was a sequel to a lecture series in 2020 on the evolution of transportation in Mumbai, thus tying in…

Many public services have moved towards contractualisation and casualisation of labour in the past few decades. The city has in recent years seen protests on this issue by workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) created for the metro rail project, has also grappled with issues around the engagement of contract workers.  What has the recruitment model followed by CMRL been? How has contractualisation affected services, if at all? What are the long-term implications of such a move? Long wait for…

If all goes well, the bulk of Bangalore’s Public Transport commuters will be moving in trains over rail tracks rather than on roads by around 2032. Plans that have been pending for long are finally being implemented to expand Metro and add Suburban Rail to cover large parts of the city with a combined urban rail network totalling over 400 km. Bengaluru’s quest for rail-based solutions began close to 40 years ago in 1983 when a Commuter Rail system was first proposed. Since then, road traffic has grown by leaps and bounds as street-based transport has remained the only option,…

A 2019 Tom Tom Index, a report about traffic congestion across 417 cities in 57 countries, found Bengaluru to be the most congested city in the world. And while the number of vehicles on Bengaluru’s roads keeps rising every year, there seems to be little attention paid to managing such numbers – by prioritising public transport, improvements in the road network and relevant infrastructure. The lack of attention being paid to public transport, primarily bus services by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), is reflected in BMTC's Performance Indicators which says 558 new vehicles were added in 2021-22 (up to Feb 2022)…

I was born and brought up in Mumbai but am currently based in Bengaluru. So traffic jams do not deter me from reaching my destination. But Bengaluru’s traffic issues seem to be different in some respects. To understand better why it happens and what it is like to be stuck in Bengaluru’s traffic jam, I decided to travel through Iblur Junction at the peak-morning-office hours by two different modes of commute: a two-wheeler and a BMTC bus. The Iblur Junction is the main connecting point between the Ambalipura-Sarjapur Road and the Outer Ring Road. Hence sees dense traffic and not…

Two-and-half months since the BMTC introduced digital passes, demand for these passes remains low. According to A V Surya Sen, Director (Information Technology) at BMTC, only 17,645 digital passes were active on June 22nd. This comes to less than 1% of BMTC's average daily ridership of 25 lakh. In pre-pandemic times, use of paper passes was common among BMTC passengers. For example, a BMTC survey of 2019 had showed that 48% of those surveyed used paper passes. It seems few have converted to digital passes. Launched on April 6th, the total number of digital passes issued so far (including expired…

Public transport in Mumbai has a reputation for providing long, arduous and uncomfortable commute, but some transport authorities in Mumbai have tried to change that. Without an iota of doubt, we can proclaim that multitasking is a common, inevitable feature of modern urban life. The pandemic has lent further credence to the fact. Instead of being alienated individuals going through the routine motion of daily travel, commuters are now looking to engage themselves to reduce distraction and enhance the enjoyability of their ride to and from the office.  Specifically, in current times, they would love to to utilise their travel…

I have been a regular commuter on Namma Metro since 2017 when Namma Metro’s phase one was inaugurated with connectivity to southwest Bengaluru. Two lines, the Purple Line** and Green Line were opened with an interchange at Majestic. I used to take the Purple Line from Mysore Road initially. Now I travel from Raja Rajeshwari Nagar to Cubbon Park/ MG Road almost daily. At the time the two metro lines became operational, the hope was that this would help reduce air pollution and congestion along with the catchment areas of these routes. Hopes that have been totally belied because of…