Feeder route proposal gathers dust

Feeder route proposal gathers dust
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Even as the BMTC fares continues their journey upwards, here is a reminder of a unique proposal that could have actually reduced the passengers' burden and also diverted two-wheeler and four-wheeler users to the BMTC buses.

Gathering dust is a proposal to introduce an experimental service of three BMTC Feeder Routes with a minimum of six buses each, combined with a flat fare of Rs 3, Rs 4 and monthly pass at Rs 80 valid for all the three routes.

The BMTC Board had approved the proposal, submitted by an independent consultant, in toto at its meeting on May 18, 2006, and directed the Transport Corporation to furnish a report on the unique operation in six months. But it was apparently not implemented in respect of the number of routes, their frequency, the fares and the monthly pass which are all crucial for the system.

Sources said if the experimental service had been implemented fully, it would have proved the efficacy of the Feeder Route - Trunk route system. Under this, commuters would have had a bus every five minute on the specified route, thereby negating the use of two-wheeler, three wheelers and other private vehicles.

Experiment
BMTC had launched the experimental operation of six feeder services on two routes in August 2006. As of now, 40 schedules are being operated on 13 such routes. Thirteen additional feeder routes were introduced and 25 more are reportedly in the pipeline.

But the people behind the experimental Feeder Route-Trunk Route system say this has no relation to what was proposed.

As N Parameswaran, the consultant appointed in 2006 by BMTC, put it, only Trunk Routes are operated in the Core area (approximately within the Ring Road) and only Feeder Routes are operated in the peripheral areas (approximately close to ring road). “There will be no overlapping of Trunk routes and Feeder routes except for a short distance for any operational reason. There will be a number of points in the peripheral area where FRs and TRs will meet called Key Points where commuters interchange between FR and TR.”

For the three Feeder routes suggested for the experimental service, commuters can reach Banashankari and Padmanabhanagar and on reaching there, one can choose any of the TRs listed in the Pilot scheme, enabling them to go to any place in Bangalore. All the FRs and TRs will be operated at a frequency of five minutes. “Thus any person can go from any point to any point without having to wait any time.”

Parameswaran says the Feeder Routes made by BMTC do not have any Trunk Routes, and calling them as FRs was absurd.