MANY RIDES WITH ONE TICKET

MANY RIDES WITH ONE TICKET
Mini bus bays will be built at Metro stations | Hop off from KSRTC, BMTC buses and catch the train
Vinay Madhav | TNN

Bangalore: Road transport in the city will be integrated smoothly with another mode of transport — Bangalore Metro. Compact BMTC bus bays will be built at Metro stations and commuters can use services of KSRTC, BMTC and Metro Rail with a single-ticket system.
“This is not a new thing but it’ll be a unique experiment in India. In London, a person can travel by road, sea and Metro with a single ticket. We’re trying to bring in a similar integrated system in Bangalore too,” transport secretary M K Shankarlinge Gowda said.
As a first step, the transport department has started integrating the KSRTC and BMTC ticket system. This was introduced in Bangalore Rural and BMTC as a pilot project. In short, a passenger who boards a KSRTC bus in Anekal, Chennapatna and Ramanagaram can use the ticket on BMTC buses in Bangalore.
“There was a problem of revenue sharing between the two organizations. But we went ahead and introduced it, which is working fine now. We were able to reduce ticket malpractice. We are planning to extend the system to other parts of the state,” Gowda explained.
Using new system on METRO
The system needs to be fine-tuned for Metro Rail. “Currently, BMTC bus bays are far from Metro stations. So we’re trying to build small bus bays attached to the stations. A person alighting the train can use the same ticket and board a bus,” Gowda said. “The passenger can use the same ticket for onward journey too.”
According to him, the system will be integrated to KSRTC as well (see box: One-ticket wonder).
Technological LEAP
The department plans to introduce ‘location system’ on BMTC buses. “Buses will have an electronic screen, where the vehicle’s location will be displayed. The system will show traffic updates. If any road is blocked, it will guide the driver to take an alternative route. The same system will
be displayed at
bus bays too so
that passengers know the traffic situation,” Gowda said.
Information through SMS
Another technological addition being planned is an ‘arrival information system’ through SMS. “If a person bought tickets or pass in advance and registered his or her mobile number with the system, it will send an SMS to the person five minutes before arrival of the bus,” Gowda explained.
“This SMS system will help passengers decide when to leave their house or office without coming too early or too late,” he added.
Swedish team COMING
A team from Sweden will come to Bangalore to study the Volvo bus service. “This service is running on loss now, although it’s making profits on long journeys. We want to improve revenue in the short-journey segment. The team from Sweden will study this situation and recommend corrective measures,” Gowda said.
ONE-TICKET WONDER 1. A person can board KSRTC bus from anywhere in the state and catch the Metro train 2. Get down at the first Metro station 3. Head to Bangalore 4. Alight from the train 5. Catch BMTC bus 6. When it’s time to return home, catch a BMTC bus to a Metro station 7. Head to satellite town bus stop 8. From there, catch a KSRTC bus back home Currently, BMTC bus bays are far from Metro stations. So we’re trying to build small bus bays attached to the stations. A person alighting from the train can use the same ticket and board a bus
- M K Shankarlinge Gowda |
TRANSPORT SECRETARY