Board these buses easily

Board these buses easily

Revised Routes Soon For BMTC Orange, Blue Bus Services

Deepa Bhasthi | TNN


Bangalore: The latest services of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the orange and blue lines and the Big 10, collectively called Kendriya Sarige, were expected to lure those working in the central business district (CBD) into taking public transport system.
But barely a month after being introduced, the BMTC finds that there are few takers — a glitch that the corporation now hopes to turn around by reworking on the routes.
While the first few days saw occupancy hovering at just 10%, a month later, BMTC officials say occupancy varied between 30% and 40%.Though traffic experts had recommended a Rs 5 fare, BMTC had rejected the proposal citing higher operational costs on the Volvos and other high-end buses that have been pressed into this service.
Why less occupancy
The other complaint was that none of these buses touched Kempegowda, Shivajinagar or Shantinagar bus stations — three chief depots that see high passenger movement.
BMTC director of projects P K Garg told TOI: “Talks are under way in the corporation to rework the routes for the orange and blue lines and the Big 10. The area along which the Big 10 services run is likely to be expanded. Currently, these buses ply on Tumkur Road, Hosur Road and eight other high-density traffic corridors on the outer fringes of the city to the CBD.”
Revised routes to touch major areas
According to him, these buses will also touch City Market, KBS, Shivajinagar and Shantinagar bus stations, extending the service to more passengers. “There are some issues between the traffic experts and our officials based on our experience, like the fares on these routes. If three persons travel together, taking an auto would be an easier option than paying Rs 10 each on these buses. But reducing the fares will also hit running cost,” he explained.
The revised routes are expected to be finalized in a day or two. Officials also expect the service to pick up gradually as it happened with Vajra and Vayu Vajra services.
PRESENT BIG 10 ROUTES
Tumkur Road, Hosur Road, Bannerghatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Mysore Road, Bellary Road, Magadi Road, Sarjapur Road, Old Madras Road, HAL Airport Road.
Fares vary from Rs 5 to Rs 15
Orange and blue line buses ply on clockwise and anticlockwise routes, covering CBD for a flat fare of Rs 10
Private firm offers help
ING Vysya marketing and products head Sonalee Panda said the company will create awareness about the advantages of the bus services. “It’s unfortunate that most of these buses are running empty.”
(With inputs from Shivani Mody)