BMTC IN TOP GEAR

BMTC IN TOP GEAR
Already the operator of the country’s biggest public bus fleet, BMTC, now plans to roll out 1,000 more buses next year
R Krishnakumar | TNN

Bangalore: More buses = fewer cars. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is pitching the equation with great enthusiasm as a solution to the congestion on Bangalore’s roads. The corporation is planning to increase the number of buses, as part of an ongoing fleet expansion, by another 1,000 next year. Already the operator of the biggest public bus fleet in the country, the BMTC is rolling out more buses when issues like absence of dedicated bus lanes remain. The idea, though, is to combine accessibility, frequency and efficiency.
Dastagir Sharieff, chief traffic manager (operations), BMTC, told The Times Of India that the expansion is part of a drive to increase the modal split of public transport in Bangalore. According to the BMTC, public transport accounts for about 48% of the total number of trips made in Bangalore. With more buses added to the fleet, the BMTC looks to take the figure to 70%.
According to a report on traffic and transportation policies and strategies in urban areas by the Union ministry of urban development, the BMTC has been expanding its fleet from 2000 to 2007 (only standard buses) at an impressive annual rate of 9.4%. This, when Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai were registering a cut-down in the number of services. In 2000, the BMTC had 2,110 buses and by 2007, the number had risen to 3,967. The report puts the public transport share in Bangalore at about 35%, behind Kolkata (54%), Mumbai (45%) and Delhi (43%). The figure, though, gains perspective when viewed against the fact that all the three cities, unlike Bangalore, have metro rail or suburban rail networks. The BMTC runs about 5,000 buses and it’s estimated that about 38 lakh passengers avail of its services, every day.
The BMTC is set to announce a new list of about 3,000 drivers for its services. Sharieff said as part of the long-term expansion, the corporation will also increase the number of Suvarna buses from the present 76 to 500.
All for the road
BMTC plans fleet expansion by another 1,000 Major metros show reduction in number of buses Bangalore is third in city bus supply index Around 3,000 drivers in recruitment stage Number of Suvarna buses to be increased to 500
Bus supply index
The report compares the 30 sampled cities based on the city bus supply index: the city bus fleet (public and private operations) for a population of 1 lakh. Bangalore comes third in the list, after Delhi and Madurai. Bangalore, though, has not touched the mark of 40 buses per lakh population, the figure recommended as ideal by the central institute of road transport (CIRT)