Phoren? Dubble meter saar!

Phoren? Dubble meter saar!
Deccan Herald

Bangalore is loved for many reasons - its cosmopolitan character, climate and the fact that it is a venue for major international music concerts. But getting from point A to point B within the City makes everyone, particularly foreign students, groan the most. More than 20 foreign students of Acharya Institue of Management and Sciences, Peenya I phase, spent a morning sharing their commuting woes in a free-wheeling discussion with the DH Team. The management, tourism and journalism students from Iran, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Nepal, mostly live in shared apartments far away from the city centre. Most students said they travel to the heart of the city at least twice a week to soak in the pubbing, eating out and party culture this city offers. With no hostel restrictions to bind them and with no deadlines to reach home by, going out is easy. But their inevitable dependence on the city’s public transport system is the worst of their problems.


To foreign students, the bus is the first mode of public transport that comes to mind. Hojjat Akhavan Tafti from Iran got something of a shock when he saw bus commuters making a dash towards buses in a battle to get in. “Buses here seem like they are from the Second World War. I am scared travelling in them”, he says, something he has not experienced in Iran. Apart from the bus conductors not issuing tickets for travel and pocketing the ticket money, he finds deficiency in the information system. “The bus numbers and the destinations are in Kannada, which I cannot read. Travelling by bus from my place to the City Market is difficult,” he shrugs.

Kalindu Witharanage from Sri Lanka says: “Even in Sri Lanka buses are not crowded like this”. Of the lot, only two students Ashwin Jankee from Mauritius and Debasis Biswas from Bangladesh use bus passes and find it better than spending large sums on autos. Biswas is easily put off by the crass manners and “unfriendly attitude” of the bus conductors. “It is their body language that puts you off,” he says.

Student from Mauritius, Aartee Dayal, got reminiscent of the bus service in her country. “Buses are maintained well, though the buses are imported from India. Boys are well-mannered. The boards are in English and rules are followed,” says Aartee.


Is the lack of efficient public transport in the city limiting the students’ healthy social life? Sandhya Simathree from Mauritus says she does not stay out later than 6 or 7 pm, moslty because “buses are unsafe and taking autos is out of question”. She says that buses are “dangerous, crowded with hardly any space to even stand, uncomfortable and unsafe for single women”. She lives in Mathikere and on an average spends about Rs 2,500 a month on commuting alone.

A point that came out of the discussion was the need for AC (Volvo) buses on more routes in the City. Bibhaya Aryal from Nepal says: “Volvo buses are comfortable and much better than the regular BMTC buses. We prefer more Volvo buses than to pay enormous amounts for autos. I once travelled from Majestic to J P Nagar IV Phase and it was a comfortable ride.”

To some others, prices do not matter as much as safety and comfort. Tasnime Mamodhoussen from Madagascar never travelled by bus at home “as it is unsafe”. But in Bangalore, the separate seating for men and women makes it more comfortable, she says.

But her peer from Nepal, Somnima Pokharel, is simply appalled by how in Bangalore the buses tend to “lean on one side with a bunch of people hanging out”.

Trouble on three wheels

Travelling a distance of 14 km one way to reach MG Road also means that the students spend not less than Rs 2,500 a month on commuting within the City, with no option but to use auto rickshaws. “When the pockets are loaded, we travel by autos. Auto drivers do not charge us by the meter. They charge double or three times the normal fare,” says Aryal.

Once the auto drivers know from the accent that they are foreign students, they volunteer conversation with a bit of Hindi and sometimes broken English. Foreign student means that the meter will not be turned on, the driver blurts out a fancy price and decides if he wants to take the student depending upon his mood.

Death trap?

“Some auto rides are like riding in maut ka kua (death trap). When you ask drunk auto drivers to go slow, they say: ‘dont worry, the vehicle is insured’. We agreed on a fare of Rs 150, which increased to Rs 250 and by the time we reached MG Road it became Rs 350. When we wanted to bargain, all auto drivers came to the spot, so we let it go. It was 11.30 pm,” says Prajwal Shrestha from Nepal.

They feel that moving around within the city centre, around MG Road, Brigade Road, is better than in the outer parts of Bangalore. It is not just their foreign student friends in other colleges that face similar problems, their Kannadiga friends too face such issues, barring the basic communication problems.

For Anita Gurung from Nepal, going home during vacation means spending Rs 400 on taxi just to get to the airport. Even at pre-paid auto stands, foreign students are harassed for more money once they are comfortably out of sight of the pre-paid counter.

Language problems

As most of the students are from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius, they can pass off as Indians if they don’t open their mouths.

Aryal finds language a major barrier and says his “swalpa swalpa” knowledge of Kannada does not take him too far because both the auto drivers and the policemen know he is a foreign student.

Students’ suggestions

Autos: Go strictly by the meter. Stop fleecing customers.

Buses: More Volvo buses on all routes needed. Increase frequency of buses.

Metro: By the time it starts we will be out of Bangalore. But when it does start, it can save time and traffic problems.

Tasnime M houssen

BBM 2rd Year

Madagascar

They should not let people take busses when its already crowded, its already long distance. They should use the meters for everyone.

Bibhaya Aryal

BHM 4th Year, Nepal

The government should increase number of buses, the drivers and conductors should have manners. They should learn Hindi and English because Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city.

Prajwal Shestha

BBM 3rd Year,Nepal

The bus drivers drive very fast even when there are bumps on the road. They make hell for us. Bus conductors should not be so rude. The bus number or route should be in Hindi or English - otherwise we have to ask someone for help.

Ashwin Jankee

BBM 3rd Year, Mauritius

More private buses should be introduced and they stop everywhere, not only at bus stops. So its better to travel in private buses.

Tashi Wangdi

BA Journalism 3rd Year

Bhutan

The auto drivers should go by the meter only. They should stick to the rules and regulations, if they charge extra, the cops should take tougher action against them.

Kanlindu Witharange

BBM 3rd Year

Sri Lanka

They should limit the number of people boarding busses according to the capacity. Increase number of buses.