DOUBLE DECKED

DOUBLE DECKED
Yet another Bangalore institution will go off into the sunset soon as the BMTC is all set to retire the double-decker Kaveri, plying between Majestic and Shivajinagar
SUCHITH KIDIYOOR


Kaveri, the last composite doubledecker BMTC bus plying on Bangalore’s streets, will be ‘retired’ any day now. In the seventies and early eighties, the double-decker bus was ubiquitous on the city’s streets. But as traffic multiplied and sleek new buses started plying, the lumbering doubledecker buses have been slowly phased out. The last remaining double-decker bus still plying was Kaveri, which has covered 9.72 lakh km, well over the ‘superannuation’ requirement of 9 lakh km.
The bus plies between Majestic and Shivajinagar. The BMTC was operating the bus on the city rounds for tourists, but after the introduction of Curitiba, an air-conditioned bus, Kaveri was restricted to the Majestic-Shivajinagar route.
EARLY ENTRANTS’ EXIT
A BMTC official said Kaveri was inducted along with Nethravati and Kapila, the other double-decker buses. While the two ‘exited’ after serving for a considerable period of time, the time has come for Kaveri to rest.
“In the late eighties and early nineties, then KSRTC was operating around 30 double-deckers in the city,” he said, adding the Indiranagar depot used to manage them. They regularly plied to Domlur, Shivajinagar, Majestic, National College and other areas. As the city grew in size, it became tough to manage them. He said, “We had to scrap their operations after several deliberations. Roads have become narrow and conditions are not conducive for their operation.”
CELLULOID ‘HEROINE’
Kaveri has had its share of happy memories. It was a hit with Sandalwood as well as Kollywood which often hired these buses for shooting its films.
It has been featured in several Kannada hits, including the recent ‘Bindaas’, ‘Dheera’, ‘Mathad Mathad Mallige’ and children’s film ‘Bhimoos Bang Bang Kids’.A fighting scene was also shot aboard one for a yet-to-release Tamil film ‘Payya’. The state-owned corporation used to rent out the bus to film units at Rs 10,000 per day. For other purposes, it used to charge Rs 23 per km.
NATIONAL CAP
Kaveri has also donned the ‘national colours’. “The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had hired our bus when India won the Under-19 World Cup match. The team was taken in a procession from Bangalore airport to the Chinnaswamy stadium,” said the BMTC official. The bus was in huge demand in Mysore during the Dasara celebrations.


CHENNAI
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai has a small fleet of doubledeckers, mostly in high-density, long distance routes
MUMBAI
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) in Mumbai launched its doubledeckers in 1937.Last year, it decided to add 50 buses to its existing fleet of 171. It may also introduce AC doubledecker buses
KOLKATA/ HYDERABAD
Both these cities have double-deckers and they are modelled on the lines of London buses