From 98 to 4,200 buses, a saga worth recounting

From 98 to 4,200 buses, a saga worth recounting
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Commuters who now pay Rs 9 to travel between Gandhi Bazaar and Majestic in BMTC buses, may find it difficult to believe that the bus fare was just four annas five decades back.

Only one bus used to ply between Gandhi Bazaar and Malleshwaram via J C Road and altogether there were only 98 buses in the City. But, today, these many buses alone ply on one route in the City.

The saga of Bangalore buses began in 1940. Bangalore Transport Company Limited, a private company, launched services with just 98 buses. Later in 1956, State Government of Mysore aquired this private company for mere Rs 15.5 lakh and brought them under the State-owned Mysore Government Road Transport Department (MGRTD).

Later the department was converted into a Corporation and named as Mysore State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). Later in 1961, the name Mysore was replaced with Karnataka through a special Act.

In the beginning, the bus services were operated under six divisions across the State. The City bus services were under Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) in 1956 and they used to operate within a 10 mile radius.

As the city expanded, the number of commuters also went up enormously and made the administration to think of having a seperate unit for the city bus services. In 1997, BTS got a new name as Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and was incorporated as a separate entity having been bifurcated from its parent.

The city bus fleet is now expanded 4,200 strong, makes 60,700 trips and carries 35 lakh passengers every day. The first inter-State service began in 1955 with a bus to Tirupati.