BMTC grid operation begins: Blue buses now plying

BMTC grid operation begins: Blue buses now plying
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has started its Grid operation, with 20 blue buses operating initially in the city.

The BMTC has introduced Grid system to decongest the prime areas of the city. BMTC buses with Grid routes will avoid coming to Kempegowda, Shivajinagar or KR Market bus stations while going to their destinations.

Different coloured buses will be operated in different directions: North-South, East-West, and diagonal, inner and outer ring roads.

The grid routes have been planned to provide an option to commuters to either follow one route or change from one grid to another grid route at the junctions. The buses running on these grid routes will be in addition to those running on the existing routes.

As a part of this, BMTC has commenced its operation by operating buses with complete blue colour. According to the BMTC Chief Mechanical Engineer Anand, BMTC is operating 20 blue buses with MB and D series.

The operation was started in May first week on experimental basis.

However, he said that the BMTC will operate 625 buses on Grid routes. The Grid routes will have new blue coloured buses and few old buses having fitness certificates will be re-painted. BMTC planning to install bilingual light emitting diode (LED) boards to these buses.

The Chairman of BMTC Commuter Advisory and Facilitation Committee (CAFC) V K Somashekar told this paper that the grid route buses will also be in green, pink and other colours, which will be operated in the later stages.

The colour codes will indicate specific direction. The dark-blue coloured buses used on the grid routes have been specially designed by Ahmedabad based National Institute of Design.