'Provide Volvo buses to ease traffic'

'Provide Volvo buses to ease traffic'
By Satish Shile, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The Electronic City Industries' Association (ELCIA) has appealed to the State government to provide dedicated service of 50 Volvo buses for Electronic City.


The association said that dedicated service of Volvo buses will reduce traffic congestion on roads leading Electronic City, to a great extent.

According to a survey conducted by the Traffic and Security wing of the ELCIA, nearly 5,000 employees in Electronic City travel by car, and 7,300 by two-wheelers, to their workplace. Besides, the companies have hired nearly 3,000 buses, taxis and tempo travellers to pick up and drop employees.

H Prakash Rao, CEO of the association, said traffic congestion is high within Electronic City as IT companies hire buses, tempo travellers, Tata Sumos and cars.

“Public transport system can lessen the congestion. By and large all industries in the City have agreed to appeal to their employees to opt for public transport,” he said.

Asked whether the employees would be picked up and dropped from a common place, Rao said the association had assigned the staff to work out a route map and time schedules, considering the residences of the employees.

The employees would be dropped at a point nearest to their residences. “At present each industry has hired buses separately. Once the Volvo bus service begins, employees of different companies will be travelling according to the route map,” Mr Rao added.

Monthly pass

The association has suggested that the government introduce monthly passes for the Volvo service, but has urged that the cost should not be more than Rs 1,250 per month.

T V Mohandas Pai, Director (Human Resources), Infosys, who is also the member of Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) said he had appealed to the BMTC to offer Volvo service for IT employees in Electronic City through monthly passes.

An employee who commutes 80 kms a day by his two-wheeler spends, on an average, Rs 50 for fuel everyday. Therefore, he will spend Rs 1,100 on fuel, for 22 days in a month. “Volvo service offers comfort and safety. If price for monthly pass is around Rs 1,250 he won’t mind taking the Volvo bus,” he said. Transport minister R Ashok said that the government is seriously considering the request by ELCIA. BMTC has already been providing the services of 50 Volvo buses in areas where IT companies are located.

“I have instructed officers to speak to representatives of the association and work out the possibilities. As per the agreement between the government and the Volvo company the State still has to purchase 48 more Volvo buses. We will purchase them and provide the services for Electronic City”, he said.

He said the department is contemplating introducing monthly passes for Volvo buses for general public, not only for IT employees in Electronic city. Pass tariff will be decided later.

STATISTICS

*Total employees - 1 lakh

*Four - wheelers - 5,000

*Two - wheelers - 7,300

*Buses, taxis, tempo travellers - 3,000