Luxury buses: In pursuit of Marco Polo

Luxury buses: In pursuit of Marco Polo


Express Features
First Published : 12 Nov 2008 04:12:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 12 Nov 2008 10:32:51 AM IST

Post a long wait and much hue and cry, AC luxury buses from Tata’s stable were introduced to the city on Sunday. The Minister for Transport, Mr. R. Ashok, while flagging off the buses, informed reporters that the government would take into account public opinion, based on their travel experience, before deciding to place order for more buses. Fully aware of a journalist’s role in creating public awareness and forming public opinion, I decided to embark on a Marco Polo ride.

I first put assembled all the required information, including routes and numbers of the new buses. Since only two buses were launched — on a trial basis, and both meant for long routes - the issue of frequency was a moot point. Top officials of BMTC said the buses would ply regularly to Nelamangala and Hoskote from Kempegowda Bus Station (KBS) from Monday. I chose the Nelamangala route.

Tuesday, 10:30 am

I decided to first check with BMTC officials if the buses were plying at all. I called up Mr. Dastagir Sharief, the Chief Traffic Manager (who doubles up as PRO) of BMTC, on his mobile phone. No answer.

I decided to try the bus ride anyway. It was a trial run, after all.

Kempegowda Bus Station, 1 pm

I checked at the enquiry counter about the platform on which the buses would come. “Tata Marco Polo? What’s that?" asked the person manning the counter. He had obviously missed the flagging-off ceremony by the minister. Nelamangala buses (258 C) come to platform 20, he said.

At platform 20, I awaited the fancy new bus with much excitement. The conductor of a regular bus to Nelamangala told me, “The new bus is supposed to arrive at this platform, but don’t ask me when.” Oh well, at least someone had heard of the new Marco Polo buses.

4 pm

The CTM finally received my call. I asked him if the Tata Marco Polos were operating.

No reply. I could hear muffled conversation at the other end but no one talked to me. The CTM had evidently forgotten that I was waiting on the other line. I hung up. Five minutes later I called him again.

This time he didn’t pick up.

4:07 pm

I went to the control room at the other end of the bus station to check the arrival time of my bus. The control room had no idea what I was referring to. After I introduced myself as a reporter, though, they offered me a seat. I asked them to check the status of the bus with the depot. The old man at the desk called several depots before concluding that the “hosa gaadi Cargo Bolo” was not yet allotted to any depot, but that it had been parked at depot 26 the previous night. This was my first bit of real information about the bus. A call to depot 26 gave me the timings of both Marco Polo buses. A bus on each route was supposed to leave KBS every three hours. And, my next bus was scheduled for 4:35 pm. I walked to the platform, full of anticipation.

4:35 pm

There was no sign of the bus. I had also lost my seat on the granite bench while I was away at the control room. The owner of a nearby telephone booth, who had been observing me not boarding any of the hundreds of buses on all the available routes, started giving me suspicious looks. He probably thought I was a suicide bomber.

5:35 pm

I checked with the control room again, in case I got the timings wrong. The old man explained that there was only one bus and that the destination was 30 km from city.

“Due to traffic jams, the bus must be late.

Only the first bus in the morning usually runs exactly on time," he said.

6:15 pm

The crowded platform looked better now with lights on. I strolled ever to the control room and asked them, yet again, to check with the depot about the missing bus. “It’s coming,” they said, but they were not sure when. After confirming that buses would follow the same timings the next day, I decided to leave. I was determined to take a Marco Polo ride the next day, come what may. “Only the first bus in the morn- ing usually runs exactly on time.” The first bus was at 8:10 am, according to the schedule. And I was going to be there to catch it, on the dot.

Wednesday 8 am

I was back at KBS, platform 20. I had left home at 6:45 am and arrived well in advance.

“Today, I’ll have a story,” I thought.

“Who knows, I might even be the first reporter in Bangalore to experience this ride.” We journos have a first-in-line fetish.

Meanwhile, the telephone booth guy had recognised me from yesterday. He looked over my bag, eyes narrowing in fear and suspicion. I didn’t care.

8:45 am

I ran to the control room to check if I had by some miracle missed the first bus to Nelamangala. At least I could catch the Hoskote bus at 8:50 am. A new person on duty asked me to check at the enquiry counter. I ran to P l a t - form 17 instead to check if Hoskote bus had arrived.

9:25 am

There was no trace of either bus — Nelamangala or Hoskote. I returned to the control room, where the duty staff sent me once more to the enquiry counter. The official there mockingly asked me why I was so particular about boarding the new bus.

He didn’t look very convinced with my explanation, but he decided to help me anyway. He took me back to the control room. This was turning into a merry-goround ride now. They checked with depot 26. The depot gave the control room person the same timings they had the day before.

I told him that I already had the schedule and that I wanted to know when, and if at all, the bus would come. I told him Tuesday’s story. Sympathetic, he called the depot again and asked, “Is the bus coming any time today?” Depot 26 replied, after a good 10 minutes of flurried research, “The buses are not operating.” So much for public opinion.

On Thursday, I called up BMTC officials in the traffic section and at depot 26 to check if the buses were in operation. The Assistant Traffic Manager of BMTC, Mr.

Jagadeesh, revealed that starting the operation of Tata’s Marco Polo buses would take some more time, since practical problems such as insurance were yet to be sorted out. He clarified that the delay was due to the Tatas and not the BMTC.

When I asked which depot the buses were kept at, the ATM said: “We do not have the buses at our depot. BMTC has not yet received the buses from Tata Motors.” The presence of buses at the flagging-off ceremony seems to have been symbolic, as was the schedule given by the depot and the confirmation by officials that the buses were in operation. And as of this morning, more than a week later, the opinionforming, feedback-providing public is yet to make its acquaintance with the mysterious Marco Polo.