HOHO is a big NO-NO

HOHO is a big NO-NO
Bengaluru


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The Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus service launched by the BMTC in February, has virtually no takers.

The buses trundle through the Central Business District empty on most days. Despite elaborate planning, the collections are poor and do not cross Rs 500 even on weekends, reports Shrinivasa M.

TheHOHO bus service which made a quiet entry into the city last month without any fanfare, risks dying a slow and unremarked death.
Empty buses trundle through the Central Business District most days leaving even their crew shaking their heads in despair at the non-existent occupancy.

The luxury bus service launched on February 12 to ease traffic congestion in the heart of the city has clearly not caught the imagination of the commuting public.

Many are unaware of its existence.

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation has four Volvo buses running in the HOHO circuit to allow commuters to hop on and hop off at stops planned for the convenience of people visiting the various malls and streets lined with upmarket shops in the CBD.

A stop is provided every three-and-a- half kilometres.

Despite all the thought that has gone into planning the service targeted at commuters, living in swanky bungalows or otherwise, it remains largely ignored, with collections not crossing Rs 500 even on weekends. Its common to see the luxury buses running empty in many of the areas they serve.

The idea behind the service suggested by Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) was to discourage the upmarket commuter from using his car or bike and nudge him towards public transport to ensure that there are fewer vehicles on the roads. ABIDe also suggested a BIG 10 service for the arterial roads. BMTC however, introduced both services without a trial run mandatory for any new scheme. It did not even come out with an introductory offer on the fare. The occupancy rate of just 5 percent on the HOHO buses has led to losses in lakhs on a weekly basis for the BMTC, which sees a 39 to 62 per cent occupancy rate on its ordinary buses and 9 to 12 per cent on its other Volvo bus services.

Traffic management expert prof M.N. Srihari feels the concept is itself faulty as the people in the higher income bracket who visit M G Road and Brigade Road cannot be expected to give up their cars for buses no matter what the incentive.

“This has proved that people from the upper classes do not want to travel in buses even if they are more luxurious than the ordinary services,” he says.