No sweat, ride to work in comfort

No sweat, ride to work in comfort
Ashwini Y S | TNN

Bangalore: Fancy a comfortable ride on a 48-seater bus that offers a panoramic view of Garden City? No, it’s not a weekend bus tour, but the BMTC’s plan to make the average office-goer’s life a little bearable during peak traffic hours.
In a day and age where quality and appearance are USPs, the BMTC is leaving no stone unturned to ‘drive’ with the times.
In four months, Suvarna buses, previously called Vajra, a fleet of 500 eye-catching buses will ply only during peak hours in high density traffic areas. The aim is to decongest the city and make public transportation agreeable to citizens.
For now, 15 semi-luxury buses — with 18 strategically located fans replacing fuel guzzling ACs — will hit the roads before the year-end. However, the launch of the service has been delayed as BMTC is awaiting the board’s approval of fare rates.
Being built by Ashok Leyland at a cost of Rs 17 lakh each, the bus will have pneumatic doors and its lowfloor body will have retractable stairs to facilitate easy access to children, differently abled and senior citizens.
Keeping passenger comfort in mind, standing while travelling will not be permitted and travel time will be reduced.
The corporation has chalked out several routes — mostly in the city centre — and will cater to office-goers. “The fare will be a little higher as compared to other buses, but the quality is good. We will help commuters save time as there will be limited number of stops,’’ said BMTC chief traffic manager, Dastagir Sharieff.
HOP ON
Buses will start from main bus stations such as KBS, Shivajinagar, KR Market, Jayanagar, Yeshwantpur, Hampinagar, Kengeri and Jalahalli Cross. They will ply between 7.30 am and 11.30 am, and 4.30 pm and 8.30 pm. BMTC has charted 75 schedules so far. 500 buses to hit the streets in four months.