Bus! No more BMTC fleet expansion

Bus! No more BMTC fleet expansion
AKANSHA MEHROTRA
DC I BENGALURU


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TRAFFIC EXPERTS ADVISE CORPORATION TO PUT MOVE ON HOLD

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s plan to add 10,000 buses on Bengaluru roads by 2012 has not gone down well with traffic experts, who think it has failed to take into consideration the challenge it is likely to face from the Metro Rail.
The BMTC, in their view, is being foolish in trying to expand its fleet when the Metro Rail which is slated to take off in 2011 , could lead to a downslide in bus travel in the city, with commuters preferring to use it over travelling by bus.

The experts estimate that the BMTC could lose around 20 per cent of its commuters to Metro Rail and incur an even bigger loss than it is already suffering today from some of its new services running empty, having failed to meet the expectations with which they were launched.

“Services like Big10 are not required. They are merely adding to the traffic congestion on the roads. People prefer to use their vehicles instead of taking buses as it is less time consuming.

“One bus can replace around 15 to 20 cars. But unless roads are widened people will not switch to public transport. Moreover, the speed of vehicles plying to core areas has reduced to 12 km/hr.

“Dedicated bus lanes are needed to reduce traffic density and the travel time taken by buses. Adding buses should be slowed down unless infrastructure is improved,” says M.N Srihari, chairman, Traffic Experts and Safety Trainers (TEST). Experts like him point out that Metro Rail could win out as it will be less time consuming to travel by train than by BMTC buses in Bengaluru.

“By 2011 the city will be highly congested with buses if more are added to the BMTC fleet annually as it is hoping to do. BMTC has already lost several crores from the introduction of new buses which are not even utilised by commuters on several routes. It’s foolish to keep on increasing the number without enhancing infrastructure to accommodate them,” experts say.