BMTC, Bengaluru’s best friend turns 25

Rachana Ramesh

Bengaluru

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) celebrated its 25th birth[1]day on Monday. On August 15, 1997 the Bengaluru Transport Service (BTS), which was part of the Karnataka State Road Trans[1]port Corporation (KSRTC) was separated to form an entirely different entity called the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

The decision to bifurcate the KSRTC was cited as the ensurement of better management and operations in the late 1980s. However, one of the reasons is also cited as weakening the transport unions. In 1994, a legislative committee was formed under PGR Sindhia as chairman who proposed the formation of BMTC.

 The BMTC currently operates 6,800 buses and has a daily footfall of around 30 lakh, which is much more significant when compared to other modes of public travel such as the Namma Metro which only sees a daily ridership of 5 lakh

BMTC, a few years ago, operated one of the longest circular routes of the country which measured up to 117 kilometers. The route covered 158 bus stops and spread across the length which could be covered in a span of 6-7 hours. In the year 2018 and 2019, the route was disrupted due to rising traffic congestion, especially during the peak hours.

 In 2010, the BMTC began to observe the 4th day of each month as ‘Bus Day’ in order to encourage the citizens to opt for public transport as a mode of travel much more frequently, but this was later discontinued.

 Along with government agencies, in the year 2019, bus priority lanes were announced on a portion of the Outer Ring road. The buses that operated on these routes were deemed as ‘Nimbus’ and the dedicated lanes significantly reduced their travel time. These lanes had to be removed since complaints of shrinkage of the road width by car drivers increased.

While it has its many flaws, a push by the government authorities and encouragement by the public can lead BMTC to its full potential. Commuters can expect initiatives that are driven by technology, such as mobile apps to track the schedules of the buses and QR code scanners for the purchase of tickets.

 Smart cards for the purpose of ticketing can also be expected. Along with this, environmentally friendly initiatives such as electric buses can also be expected.