Now Volvo fares at bus shelters

Now Volvo fares at bus shelters
BMTC has decided to display the fares and routes of its Volvo buses at all bus stops
SUCHITH KIDIYOOR


Tired of running behind the driver or conductor of a red Volvo to find out if the bus reaches your destination? Or feeling too shy to ask for the bus fare? Then, hang on! The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has come up with a solution - displaying fare charts of Volvo buses as well as route maps in all bus shelters.
Realising that many commuters were not stepping into the Volvos presuming that the fares in these swanky air-conditioned buses are quite high, the BMTC has decided to change the commuters’ perception. Chief traffic manger (operations) K S Vishwanath said, “Many people have the notion that fares in Volvo buses are very expensive. But in reality, we charge only one rupee more than the Suvarna buses. To clear the doubts, we have decided to display bus fares along with the arrival-departure timings at the bus shelters.”
In Bangalore, there are 2,387 bus stops. The move, BMTC officials say, will increase the number of commuters patronising Volvos. Though BMTC operates more than 300 Volvo buses in the city, it has done little to increase the occupancy rate. Its latest promotional bid was a few months ago, when the BMTC allowed people to travel in Volvo buses for one rupee.
Another BMTC official said displaying the fares in the bus shelters will help the commuters make up their minds before the bus arrives.
Already, BMTC has commenced the exercise of putting the bus route maps at 160 bus shelters across the city. This apart, BMTC is all set to re-launch its website www.bmtcinfo.com with updates on the new routes, bus fares and the arrival and departure timings of Volvo buses.