BMTC to run fleet of 150 buses to BIAL

BMTC to run fleet of 150 buses to BIAL
Monday March 31 2008 07:27 IST

ENS

BANGALORE: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) launched dedicated bus services to Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli from key points in the city, here on Sunday.

The fleet of 150 buses will be operational with the commissioning of the new airport and the frequency and operation of the buses will be matched with the arrival and departure timings of the flights, said Managing Director of BMTC, Upendra Tripathy.

Three new services to the new airport:

Vayu Vajra BIAL Services, Suvarna Peak Hour Service and Trumpet Interchange Shuttle Service. Vayu Vajra, with a fleet of 40 air-conditioned Volvo buses, will operate on nine routes, covering a total of 26 en-route pick-up points spread across the city, said Tripathy.

The nine selected starting points in the city are: Hebbal, Mysore Road Satellite Bus Station, Jeevan Beema Nagar, HAL Airport, J P Nagar VI Phase, White Field, Koramangala, Electronic City and Kempego wda Bus Station. The longest route of Electronic City to BIAL will have a travel time of two hours and 45 minutes and will cost Rs 200.

Buses on each route will leave with an interval of 10 to 15 minutes. The 24X7 service will have less frequency in the night. Vayu Vajra buses provide room for air travellers’ luggage, helper for luggage handling and collapsible ramp for wheel-chair bound passengers.

A 100 Suvarna non A/C buses will operate on the same routes as Vayu Vajra, only during the peak hours from 8 am to 11 am and from 5 pm to 9 pm. These buses will have limited en-route stops to conserve time. Vayu Vajra and Suvarna together will provide a bus every three minutes in the peak hours, said BMTC officials.

Ten Trumpet Interchange Shuttle buses will connect Trumpet Interchange Bus Terminal (airport perimeter) to the Airport Terminal. The frequency will be very high and the buses will preferably be Vayu Vajra Volvo buses.

BMTC is planning to tie-up with star hotels in the city for passenger pick-up. Suvarna Peak Hour Service for the whole city will also be started soon with a fleet of 500 buses, said Tripathy.