Blame it on the inadequate public transport system

Blame it on the inadequate public transport system

Anil Kumar Sastry

BMTC has doubled its fleet strength in the past 10 years

Lack of coordination blamed for chaos in public transport

BANGALORE: The absence of an effective public transport system in the city has propelled Bangloreans to rely on their own mode of transport, resulting in a steep increase in the number of two-wheelers and cars.

In a span of 10 years, the number of private vehicles in Bangalore has gone up more than threefold, leading to an unprecedented chaos and congestion on roads. As of December 2007, there were 31 lakh private vehicles — 26 lakh two-wheelers and five lakh cars. In December 1997, the city had only 8.1 lakh two-wheelers and 1.4 lakh cars. Two-wheelers and cars account for 83 per cent of the total 36 lakh vehicles that are registered and used in Bangalore, according to statistics provided by the Transport Department.

The improved purchasing power of Bangaloreans following the IT boom and easy availability of vehicle loans could be the other factors. But transport and traffic management experts are of the view that an efficient public transport system could have dissuaded people from buying motorcycles and cars.

Though the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the single-largest public transport service provider, has doubled its fleet strength from 2,088 to 4,500 in the past 10 years it has not been able to cater to the growing public needs. The BMTC added less than 100 buses to its fleet every year between 1997 and 2004. During these eight years, the public has discovered the merits of owning a vehicle rather than depend on the mercy of a BMTC bus.
Lack of reliability

“Failure of the public transport system in the city was largely due to lack of its reliability. Waiting at a bus station, you do not know when you will get the bus of your choice,” says R. Srikumar, Director-General of Police, Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation Limited. Mr. Srikumar was Director (Security and Vigilance) of KSRTC for four years in the late 1990s during its reformation period.

The failure to implement Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide real-time passenger information has encouraged many to switch over to their own mode of transport. Had the GPS been in place, BMTC could have resorted to dynamic timetable for operation of buses instead of fixed timetable thereby deploying buses according to the need of the hour, he says. Thus, people look for a private transport facility of their convenience and that too from their doorstep.
No coordination

According to Mr. Srikumar, public transport is chaotic owing to lack of coordination between various agencies such as the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Traffic Police and BMTC. There is no continuity in policies and all actions are “adhocism personified,” he observed. Also, the authorities concerned have not recognised the importance of social gains achieved by a thriving public transport system in the form of reduced pollution and accidents.