Volvo buses drain BMTC coffers

Nischith N | NT

Bengaluru: A study of the occupancy of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses has revealed that its revenue has come down and Volvo bus services are the major reason.

According to BMTC officials, “Due to the recent pandemic, the roads are almost empty most of the day, also there is no lockdown but there are no crowds at any bus stop. Even in the interior areas of the city, hardly any people can be seen on the road.”

To reduce the losses, BMTC had on December 15 announced that it will slash AC bus (Vajra service) fares for medium and long-distance services by 35 per cent in the city from December 17. In spite of the discount in fares, BMTC daily revenue has still fallen.

According to reports, the estimated revenue after discount in fares of Volvo buses was Rs 10 lakh per day, but the corporation has managed to reach only Rs 6.5 lakh per day with buses running at 3.5 lakh loss per day.

“People are worried about using public transport. The BMTC expected that commuters from lower-income groups will use BMTC buses but the information on the discounted fares itself has not reached the general public. “ says Rajsheker, an activist on the situation.

Due to new COVID norms, only 180 Vayu Vajra services are operating across Bengaluru providing 500 plus trips on a daily basis. Earlier it was 860 AC buses across the city in which 300 were only for the IT corridor and due the COVID pandemic, the numbers were reduced.

“Most AC buses from and to Whitefield were tightly packed during peak hours which was a good sign for the corporation. More buses were planned to run along these routes during peak hours rather than running almost empty buses during other times. But the pandemic has upset all plans. AC Volvo bus will provide only 2 km mileage per kilometer. So it is a huge loss for the corporation. The matter will be discussed and we will act accordingly” says a BMTC senior official.