Metro Bus System introduced on all 25 grid routes

Metro Bus System introduced on all 25 grid routes

The Hindu

Encouraging response from commuters; 250 more buses in three months: BMTC

# Metro Bus System was conceived in 2002 to provide uninterrupted public transport facility
# First service announced on June 3, 2002
# Survey conducted to record time taken for journey, route length, etc.
# Outer Ring Road circular services were part of the system
# Earlier routes had 80 buses in all
# Now, every route will have 10 to 15 buses with a minimum frequency of 15 minutes

BANGALORE: Upbeat over the encouraging response from commuters for its Metro Bus System on grid routes, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has not only extended the system on all 25 grid routes earlier identified by it but has also announced its intention to augment the number of buses on these routes.

The system was conceived in 2002 to provide uninterrupted public transport facility to various points in the city without covering the central business district.

The scheme had sought to change the existing "destination-oriented" operation to "direction-oriented" operation and the first of the system's services was announced on June 3, 2002.

Though the corporation had identified over 25 grid routes for the system, it had introduced it only on a few routes awaiting response from commuters.

A survey was conducted to record the time taken for the journey, the number of obstacles, the route length and the like on each route before finalising them.

Now having received encouraging response from commuters, the corporation has introduced the system on all 25 routes.

The Outer Ring Road circular services from Hebbal and Banashankari, introduced in March 2003 were a part of the Metro Bus System and are now named MBS 23.

New routes

The new routes include MBS (Metro Bus System) 2 Marathahalli-Yelahanka Satellite Town; MBS3 Kamala Nagar-K.R. Puram; MBS6 Vidyaranyapura-CV Raman Nagar; MBS7 Hoskote-Kengeri Satellite Town.

MBS9 ISRO Layout-Vidyaranyapura; MBS10 BTM Layout-Sunkadakatte; MBS11 Jambusavari Dinne (JP Nagar)-Vishwanatha Nagenahalli.

MBS12 Annapoorneshwari Nagar-Marathahalli; MBS13 Arakere Mico Layout-Hennur; MBS14 JP Nagar III Phase-Ramakrishna Hegde Nagar.

MBS15 Nagarbhavi Circle-Marathahalli Ring Road; MBS16 Jalahalli Cross-Kasturi Nagar; MBS18 Sunkadakatte-Bommanahalli; MBS19 Marathahalli-Hebbal; MBS20 Bhuvaneshwarinagar-Laggere.

MBS21 Chandapura-MEI Layout; MBS22 Mysore Road KSRTC Terminal-Marathahalli; MBS24 Rajarajeshwari Nagar-Marathahalli and MBS25 Sunkadakatte-Kalyan Nagar.

Earlier routes

The routes initially introduced included 373C Bommanahalli-Kengeri Satellite Town; 400 Hebbal-Ramamurthi Nagar; 401M Yeshwantpur-Kengeri; 410 Bommanahalli-Jalahalli Cross; 411 Banashankari-Marathahalli; 411A Jayanagar-HAL Main Gate; MBS1 Konanakunte Cross-Hebbal; MBS4 Magadi Road Sunkadakatte-B. Channasandra.

MBS5 Banashankari III Stage III Phase-Jalahalli Cross; and MBS8 Banashankari-Kalyan Nagar. It had deployed 80 buses on these routes.

Though operations on the new routes have commenced, the number of buses is yet to increase.

According to BMTC Chief Traffic Manager Dastagir Sharief, the corporation would add 250 more buses within three months to augment the bus services.

He told The Hindu that every route would have 10 to 15 buses plying with a minimum frequency of 15 minutes.