BMTC Meeting Update - Need innovative ideas!

ಮೇಲೆ
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BusPublic Transport

Today, a small team of Praja members interacted with Traffic Team at BMTC headed by the CTM(O). Following are the minutes of the meeting:

The agenda was to look at ways to popularize and increase the ridership of the Volvo services. A two way approach was suggested -

  • To provide quality information to the current users
  • Encourage private vehicle users to switch to Volvo services (attract new customers)

Some of the suggestions were -

  1. To upgrade/update the BMTC website.
  2. Provide a section dedicated to Volvo services, detailing all the routes and time schedules.
  3. Use of "Moving Maps" to dynamically map buses on to maps - once all buses are fitted with GPS tracking devices.
  4. Re-introduction of YelliEdira service.
  5. Use FM radio to popularize services - organize weekly/daily contests based on Volvo routes.
  6. Advertising campaigns at major IT hubs/companies - MG road/Electronic City/Whitefield (Will need the help of Praja members to help co-ordinate these campaigns).
  7. Putting up Volvo bus fares/routes and time tables at all bus stands.
  8. Once BMTC volvo website is updated, an email campaign would be started. Assistance from civic groups like Hasiru Husiru, CAF and others along with Praja will be needed to spread the reach.
  9. Actively sort feedback from customers and work on them.

Feedback collection mechanisms that were suggested -

  1. Phone based feedback (a dedicated line to be operated by BMTC to record customer feedback - could be an automated recording system).
  2. SMS based feedback (customers can send SMS to specified numbers with suggestions). In both Phone based and SMS based solutions, the contact numbers could be widely advertised within the buses for easy accessibility.
  3. Feedback forms asking specific questions within Volvo buses and popular malls (discount coupons could be provided to encourage people to use the forms).
  4.  Feedback section on BMTC website.

Other Miscellaneous issues that were discussed at the meeting -

  1. Kendra Sarige (HOHO) service routes have been changed - updated routes to be put up on BMTC site shortly.
  2. Introduction of high parking fee to discourage use of private vehicles.
  3. Need for congestion taxes and dedicated bus lanes.
  4. Fleet expansion (currently there are 310 Volvo buses, 200 more will be inducted in the next one year).
  5. Need for BMLTA.
  6. Delays in the formulation of BMLTA act.
  7. Inter department co-ordination problems - between BBMP and BMTC.
  8. BBMP owns all bus shelters in Bangalore. Though BMTC has requested for more than 3000 bus stands, BBMP is progressing very slowly. New bus stands are being introduced only in high visibility locations (advertising benefits) and others areas are being ignored by BBMP.
  9. The advertising rights in bus shelters completely owned by BBMP. Though a plan was put forward to BMTC to display live real time bus schedules/arrival times on LED/LCD panels at bus stands, the plan had to be shelved because, BMTC didnt have the rights to display such panels at the bus stands.

What BMTC expects from the general public and Praja -

  1. General ideas on how to popularize public transport in general and Volvo services in particular.
  2. How to encourage non IT crowd to use Volvo services.
  3. Better ideas for advertising - please add on to the above suggestions.
  4. Help in advertising campaigns (will need coordinator to at large companies and IT parks to facilitate campaigns).
  5. Ideas on Map based passenger information systems.
  6. Feedback on routes - route rationalization and costing are important issues that they are looking into, but their current priority is to increase ridership and make the service self sustaining.
  7. Public pressure on BBMP to allocate advertising real estate at bus stops to BMTC and for construction of bus stands and bus bays.

Praja members please put on your thinking caps and suggest ideas to popularize Volvo services and increase their ridership. The next task would be to engage in route ratinalization and costing (but these are secondary at the moment).

BBMP engagement managers please raise the BBMP specific issues listed about with the BBMP authorities.

Hence forth such meeting will be announced publicly on Praja and anyone interested can join. Due to lack of time and co-ordination issues the meeting was a closed one.

ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು

Time for some real action!

ಮೇಲೆ
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Manjari, Sudheendra and BMTC EM team,

Great going. Really appreciates your efforts in organizing thsi meeting at very short time and making it a success. Also thanks for posting the detailed meeting minutes. Now the ball is in Praja's court and it is now our duty to respond to the BMTC's call.

To take this task forward, pls call a PRAJA meeting (perhaps online) and formalize some action items that Praja members can take up.

Prajagale, pls post all your innovative ideas and pls do join the Praja BMTC team to showcase the great work that Praja members have been doing since its online presence.

 

Don't understand...

ಮೇಲೆ
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Rithesh,

Please don't think I'm trying to discourage your great initiative, but I don't understand the intention behind this drive. Are you trying to popularize Volvo? Why? I think we should spend our efforts to popularize public transport in general. If they are not able to make money out of Volvo, then that's a different case - basically they procured more Volvos than required. They weren't being smart, right?

Getting the basics right and then improving awareness of public transport is the right thing to do. There are no short cuts.

Nevertheless, here are some of the thoughts putting myself into the shoes of general public and IT crowd:

1. I don't care if its a Volvo or Tata or xyz

2. The bus stops should be accessible by walk from places I start/visit - eg: 500 mts/5 mins from my home/office

3. Ideally not more than 1 hop (though I'm ok with 2)

4. Total wait for bus at the stops should not be more than 10 mins - basically frequency of less than 5 mins

5. Buses should not be crowded - ideally one should get a seat, but I'm ok if I have to stand (but not pushed around by the crowd)

6. Buses should have reasonable cleanliness (this is usually not a problem in BMTC)

7. I should be able to cover the distance at 20km/hr., end to end within the city limits today and maybe with a vision of improving it to 25km/hr (30 maybe a long term goal). Ofcourse, this last point is not an actionable item only for BMTC - this is more like BRT and such.

-- navshot

 

-- navshot

Big picture

ಮೇಲೆ
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Hi,
  I appriciate the fact that you met the BMTC officials and there was a very useful interaction regarding how to improve things. But it would be nice if you can extend your ideas to involve all the people not just the "elite" crowd. The intention should be IMHO to improve the overall public transport scene. Sorry if I am being preachy.
 
I can think of a few things to improve the quality of service.

 The current BMTC service tries to connect all the parts of the city to a ver few number of centers like KBS, KR Market , shivajinagar. What I would suggest is to drop this idea.
1. Instead we can have services originating from the central district (like the BIG10) and terminate radially at the peripheral parts of the city.
2. We can have concetric services which connect these radial routes through ring routes (like the buses which ply on the ring road). There can be 4 or 5 concentric services at various distance from the cental district.
3. Also provide services to the KBS, Satellite bustand(mysore road) , Shivajinagar and KR Market seperaltly or tailor the above mentioned routes to include these in the route.
This would decongest the traffic and also give better connectivity to all parts of the city. I just hope that there are proper roads to consider this plan.





Why this division of responsibilities?

ಮೇಲೆ
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BBMP owns all bus shelters in Bangalore. While BMTC runs the buses. Ah! what beautiful division of responsibilities.

Though a plan was put forward to BMTC to display live real time bus schedules/arrival times on LED/LCD panels at bus stands, the plan had to be shelved because, BMTC didnt have the rights to display such panels at the bus stands.

So where does the passenger figure in this scheme of things? Even more sinister is BOTH BBMP & BMTC now cant do anything about putting up passenger info on shelters?  How did they manage to get themselves into such a fine situation? Do they have a way out or they have given up?? Maybe they havent given a thought to push that right into the contract now by legislation or even thought about a display panel seperate from the shelter beside it.

Feedback is appreciated!

ಮೇಲೆ
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navshot,

The end objective is to push for better Public transport and that needs lot of improvements on its various supporting infrastructure that you have mentioned. This engagement with BMTC is an window of opportunity to work with BMTC and form a relationship to work for the greater objective. Popularizing Volvo is a kind of pushing for more PT ridership.

nl.srinivas,

Appreciate your comments. All the Praja initiatives are open to all and the very fact that these are posted on public domain are for greater audience and their participation. Please join the team and Praja definitely needs lot of help for its various initiatives including BMTC. Pls PM manjari, sudheendra or ritesh for further information.

Regarding the routing and scheduling, yes, the existing structure is not the right one for today's needs. There have been lot of suggestions, in fact some with concrete proposals. I am sure Praja BMTC EM team would take this up with BMTC and work on to ensure that every locality in the B'lore have a reasonable PT connectivity. But this needs lot of efforts, patience like a TEST MATCH.

 

Let's be aware...

ಮೇಲೆ
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Let's be aware that this might backfire. Do we really agree that pushing for Volvo is the right thing to do? Or are we doing this just to gain traction with BMTC, even it its not the right thing to do now? As I said, there are no short cuts.

Just imagine this: We put all we can and publisize Volvo and people (including IT crowd) would fall for it and try it out. But the very second day they would realize basic problems (like bus stop is not closeby, the frequency is not good, or even inconsistency). Do you think they would continue to use it? Next time when there is a similar awareness campaign (maybe after taking care of basics), they would be the last ones to try it again, remembering the previous bitter experience. It is more like "ThoLa banthu, thoLa" story.

Well, this is what I feel personally. I might be wrong. The awareness campaign would still work to some extent for those who live and work close to current Volvo routes.

-- navshot

 

-- navshot

my basic observation from

ಮೇಲೆ
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my basic observation from all these comments is ---- connectivity and reliablity are the major concerns. Not the type of buses. So,  would suggest in the next meeting we should emphasis more on these points. I take this oppurtunity to put forth some of my points :

1. Avoid having too many bus stands / terminals . This will ensure more buses on road and so, better usage of resources, better planning, better timing fixtures, better monitoring, and all this directly achiveves better connectivity and reliable.

2.. Introduce feeder like sytem. Remote areas need to be connected to main roads or to some connecting junctions. For these services, mini-buses are far more sufficent. This will directly help in building up connectivity. and so, the usage.

3. Regarding advertisements ..... i think bmtc can use the back of ticket. They are usually left blank and so, can be used for advertising.

4. My dream is this : Just like how mobile phones are there with every one, Just like how every one has bank a/c,  every one should have bus pass.

ok, These are my thoughts. 

thanks,
srinath
 

Completely agree with Navshot

ಮೇಲೆ
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      I have the same opinion as navshot.  kbsyed61 says that "Popularizing Volvo is a kind of pushing for more PT ridership". IMO, its the other way round!! Pushing for the larger cause of PT will definitely popularise Volvo.

     Additionally, BMTC has invested in Volvos expecting them to their 'cash cow', if not today, atleast in the future. And hence I am not surprised that they expect us to market only particular service of theirs. Further, the frequency of Volvo buses on any route is ( and should be) much lesser than the normal service. Without any effort from the BMTC or citizen groups like Praja, Volvo will become more popular in the future when the present 'blue buses' are phased out and 'suvarna' becomes the lowest class of service.

    Put the same point in other way, If you are looking to popularise Volvo, the BMTC will have to come up with a proper plan to phase out the old blue buses. And compliance to environmental/emission standards can be a good reason, excuse and alibi !!

-Srivatsava V

-Srivatsava V

Lets go do it

ಮೇಲೆ
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We have said we should never belittle discussions, we all get started into all this by talking and discussing first

But, if you believe in certain things, please come join this project to drive it your way. Praja is an open platform, and we just started to get organized on projects front.

There can never be perfect consensus on anything. A good number of people felt like going to this short notice meeting, and they did (on a weekday at 5 pm, some bunking work)

Objective is to first build relationships with BMTC, and to hear their side on the Volvo story.

Many here have expressed in the past that Volvos were a good idea because they take bigger footprint vehicles (cars) off the road. This is certainly visible in the case of 335E and 500K. Promoting Volvos doesn't mean demoting BMTC's regular services. Why play the "this vs that" card? But yes, if we find that its not possible to sustain Volvo service, and they are getting subsidized from regular buses, we will all raise our voices together. But how do we even get to know that - their operations in detail? From those once-in-a-while newspaper stories!? Or by the 'hear-say'?

With time, as we develop understanding of BMTC's operations, and if we present a constructive face, we should be able to learn and possibly do more. Let us get in first, we are designing Praja (projects or discussions) to be as open as they can be.

Lets get more data, more insights for even more meaningful discussions here. And hopefuly some action and changes, though thats not guaranteed or a must to keep us going.

Cheers.

PS: Perhaps BMTC thinks this website's readers are mostly Volvo prospects, thats why we got started with this topic first.

Stratified BMTC service & Making profits with deficient service

ಮೇಲೆ
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This comment has been moved here.

Clarification on engaging with BMTC!

ಮೇಲೆ
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SB,

Thanks for posting a comprehensive viewpoint. I think I should have been more clear in my earlier comment.

navshot, sv, and all prajagale,

The yesterdays meeting with BMTC was a first step towards building inroads and friendship with BMTC. Until now, you all have very good suggestion made w.r.t BMTC's service. There are no 2 opinions about your sentiments on BMTC, and in general on the sorry state of transportation in Bangalore. BMTC is an important part of the transportation puzzle. Praja's ultimate goal would be to influence BMTC to be better PT service provider by addressing all the required issues.

Few Praja members have taken an initiative to pass these good ideas, and suggestions to BMTC. edited. Help with Volvo service is only a start. In fact BMTC's team has indicated to the Praja team that they are looking forward to extend this relationship to address the other critical areas like route rationalization, pricing and other issues. Pls rest assured that this engagement will be as transparent as it can be. Since it is a 2-way engagement, it is required that Praja members also extend maximum possible help to BMTC. Somewhere we need to make a beginning and may be Volvo is the new beginning for a constructive relationship with BMTC. The task ahead for Praja is a very big task, but doable. Praja needs more hands, more ideas and more efforts.Lets help Praja and the BMTC team.

Looking forward to a Praja meet to take this initiative further.

Point taken

ಮೇಲೆ
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Navshot,

Thanks for your feedback. We are trying to push for everything that you have suggested in your response. Please do join us in these efforts.

I am a hardcore public transport user. I can understand where you are coming from. We are trying to establish a working relationship with BMTC and in due course we will definitely take up all the issues that you have mentioned and many more. You should understand that we are working with a government organization - all of us want overnight changes but the fact of the matter is things dont work that way, we all need to work towards changing this - I am glad that BMTC has started engaging with the public.

We are also not pro elite or catering to only Volvo customers - I myself use normal blue colored BMTC buses when ever possible.

The idea behind this exercise was to look at ways to reduce private vehicles on the roads - specifically cars which occupy the maximum real estate per traveler. Reduction in private vehicles will lead to lower congestion and better traveling speeds and time for public vehicles. For all the points that you have mentioned (3,4,5,6) we might need more buses and but it really doesn't make sense for them to invest in buses if people are not utilizing them. It is a chiken and egg problem.

They are also working in passenger information systems to address delays and timing issues - you will see some positive developments shortly.

There are also a few misconceptions about Volvo services - like the ticket fares being exorbitantly high, etc - but they are reasonably priced, we need to remove such misconceptions.

I see the under-utilization of Volvo services as teething problem - given some time and some regulation on private vehicles we will have an excellent public transportation system.

Also the solution to most of our problems will be the BMLTA - due to lack of commitment from the government, BMLTA act itself is yet to be formalized. Things wont move unless the public pressure builds up. I request you and others to write to constantly write to BMLTA, Transport Minister and the Chief Secretary to act on these issues.

I look forward for your participation in future public transport related events.

Rithesh

My clarifications and suggestion...

ಮೇಲೆ
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Rithesh, Syed, SB,

Just to emphasize my stand, let me repeat, please do not think I'm discouraging any efforts here. And, these are only my views. Please go ahead with your plans. I understand the issues with establishing relationship with BMTC. My point is that, we are trying to sell a half baked bread and we should be aware of dangers associated with that.

I don't know if you guys have already chalked out plans/approach. Let me suggest this. We can look at the list of volvo routes and divide the routes amongst us - ideally we'll need volunteers from each of the areas that Volvo serves (I'm willing to take up routes between my residence and office) and we'd try it out ourselves for a couple of weeks. Goal is to understand the issues and get it addressed first. This would also give us solid understanding of ground reality. After that probably, we could go ahead with some kind of campaign. And, like I've already said, there are really no short cuts. We need to put this hard work. Even then, we'd still have to do things like route rationalization to get the maximum out of it. Let me know what you guys think.

-- navshot

-- navshot

Point taken

ಮೇಲೆ
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Hi Ritesh and others,
   Thanks for clarifying things. Sure I am willing to involve myself in this. Will PM on of the guys involved in this project.
PS: Sorry for posting empty messages accidentally.



A car turned bus user

ಮೇಲೆ
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Hello,
   I am one of BMTCs target volvo customers.  During the last few weeks, I have cut down my car use and switched to bus to commute to work.  This was in no small measure due to improved Volvo service from my home (AECS Layout, Brookefield area) via the ring road.  I much prefer the comfortable, direct (no changing buses) ride of the volvos to travelling in a crowded regular bus and trudging up the ramp in Marathalli to catch a bus in the crowded bus stop and getting pickpocketed (another personal experience).

To summarize a few points
1. Volvo (or luxury) bus bashing is not justified.  Like SB pointed out - is there some rule that bus travel should be uncomfortable?  There is an implication that all volvos are loss making and using them is like giving a subsidy to the well off.  I have read that as of now volvo service is loss making,  But routes like 335E and 500K have to be money makers.  They are all stuffed most of the time. Further, as a tax payer, I am not complaining if the govt subsidizes me a little. Also, by making it attractive for me to switch to buses, I have stopped driving about a 1000 kgs of metal with me to work. The savings in pollution and congestion have a positive value that is not being accounted for in any calculations.  With good publicity and predictable service, many people will (and have) shifted to Volvo type services and given up cars. I personally know people who have done this.

2. The role of being a pedestrian while changing buses is the worst part of traveling by bus.  Until footpaths are wide and clear of encroachment and obstacles and until crossing roads is not an exercise in dodging vehicles, and until the pedestrian and mass transportation user is considered during design and build of infrastructure, bus travel is going to be unappealing. In other words, BMTC has to find a way of working with BDA and BBMP and all such agencies.

3.Bus stops and especially major interchanges have to be better designed.  For me personally - Marathalli or even Majestic or Shivaji Nagar is quite unappealing.  Masses of people rushing helter skelter and boarding a bus becomes at est of fitness.  And pickpockets are another threat. Quite okay if I am traveling alone, but with family or slightly elderly - No thank you.

4. Bus boards, esp at night are poorly lit (For the normal service). And they are in Kannada, a language I do not read.  Dual language boards and good lighting will go a long way in helping passengers in our city.

5. The single entry, driver only pushpak buses are a terrible design and a menace to road safety.  How many times has the driver pulled away from the bus stop while issuing tickets, no hands on the wheel.  Getting in and out of a crowded bus is yet another challenge. I think this idea just has to go.  Driver only bus has to be an advance buy pass only bus. Expecting the poor guy to make change while driving is just madness.

6. Route rationalization  - well covered all over Praja. The current hubs don't make sense.
7. Bus information systems - the GPS and idea of having boards indicating bus arrivals at bus stops is just terrific.  I saw a pilot page on BTIS website showing realtime tracking of buses.  It does not appear to be working right now, but that will be just great when ready!

Sanjay, your point #2 and 3

ಮೇಲೆ
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Dear Sanjay, couldn't agree more with some of your points above.

One major area of problem with using BMTC is bus exchange points. It can't be stressed enough. The comfort of new buses (which are okay, some old ones are bad) is quickly take away by the problems at exchange points:

  • Crossing the road to change directions (KR Pura bridge - worst example)
  • Walking a lot at places like silk board junction, Marathahalli
  • No information on when the next bus on the other route (the reason I am changing the bus) will arrive.

Information system part can be addressed by BMTC. But can BMTC do anything on their own to make the bus exchange experience better?

We have discussed local shuttles endlessly. This shouldn't be that big a deal, because autorickshaws are around. But many times, they not easy to deal with.

Can BMTC tie up with Autos in such a way that some of them hang around a bus stand and service local areas (say 2 km radius or so)? Single ticket between Bus and Auto would be a dream - may be, you get two options when buying ticket on the Bus, 1) bus only, or 2) bus-local shuttle/auto combined. If you have a combo ticket, then just get down at the stand, and take that Blue auto who will take you upto 2 km from the stand.

Sure, above idea may not be as easy to work out. But Mr Tripathi clearly talked of a project like this last year. What happened to it? A well integrated bus + Last-mile combination will bring more people to public transport, and everyone (bus, auto) will end up making more money due to increased volumes. Petrol companies will be the only losers in the arrangement.

my observations (from the meeting)

ಮೇಲೆ
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It is after a lot of deliberations that I have decided to put these thoughts down. I felt I'll not be true to my own conscience if I did not do it.

The meeting was supposed to be a brain-storming session as to how to increase the rider-ship in the city VOLVO services, that is excluding the airport (Vayu-Vajra) services, which is bleeding them heavily (They appear to be pretty smug in the belief that the Vayu-Vajra services are doing well currently, whereas I would think thay are also bleeding, though may be a little lesser than the city services). And, with the numbers going up to 310 as of now , and another 200 more to be added in the course the next one year, there is a near panic situation now.

Added to that perhaps are the poor return on the investments made in the newly built TTMC's, and the fiancial commitments made on the upcoming TTMC's. The returns on the investments made in the upcoming TTMC's are going to be even poorer with the down-turn in the economy. As to their utility for the commuters is another sad story, altogether.

Having been closely associated with the BMTC, particularly with the city VOLVO services, both in my capacity as the co-Chairman of the CCTF and as the person who co-ordinated the implementation of the "Yelli Iddira?"(Yi) service, when I started with what appeared to me as the obvious suggestion of merging these with the BIG-10 services (say every 3rd or 5th as a VOLVO service), the newly appointed 'technical adviser'(TA - a 'she'), surprisingly ruled that out totally saying more or less that that was Prof Ashwin Mahesh's baby, and she had nothing to do with it, atleast till the elections were over. I am still to figure that out.

Further, she went on to add that the Kendra Saarige'(KS) has been removed from Prof AM's team's purview, and is now directly in the hands of the Chief Traffic Manager, Operations (CTMO). The day I had read in the papers that the KS route was being enlarged to cover Kempe Gowda station (KGS) and Shantinagar TTMC, I had called up AM and expressed my reservations. He tried to justify it, but I could discern a lack of conviction in his speech, leaving me with the impression that something was amiss. Now, it all seems to fall in place.

Given the set of circumstances, I then suggested that Yi was the simplest and most effective (including cost-wise) option. I invited TA to take a look at the site, which had many user friendly features, including for feedback.

The talk then went on to all kinds of esoteric solutions involving using google etc, which in my opinion is all just overkill.

We were then ushered into the CTMO's office. Ritesh summarised the earlier discussions for the benefit of CTMO, and laid out some kind of an plan of action, including some tasks for the PRAJA team. My trying to say that what was needed was plain information, which can be comprehensively achieved through Yi, and a bit of publicity of that, didn't seem to find favour with the rest, and I piped down.

Thereafter, the CTMO went on to elaborate on how KS was an utter failure, because of which they had to intervene and take charge, further confirming my belief that AM is on his way out, pretty soon. I tried to say that that was possibly where publicity was required, and the failure was largely because of the lack of it. Some heads nodded in appreciation, but not with much conviction.

The sad part is that Prof AM is, in addition, going to be burdened with the blame of running down the BMTC. The hazards of providing pro-bono services to government agencies are showing up once again. But, lessons seldom seem to be learnt.

The CTMO and his team members then went on to their rants over BBMP. I then asked the TA as to what she can tell about what was happening at the BMLTA, where she was working earlier. All she chose to say was that she had absolutely no work there, whereas after joining BMTC, she had been flooded with all kinds of work, which she finds quite exciting.

When Naveen went on ask how come the BMTC web-site, which had originally been conceived very well, is generally seen to be un-updated, the CTMO turned to one of his assistants with a "baega maad-ree", explaining away generally that the tender had expired and they needed to re-tender it. The assistant nodded his head, none too enthusiastically, though.

The only positive take home as far as I was concerned was the acknowledgement of the CTMO team members that they had indeed gone through Naveen's submission (on East Bangalore
feeder services?), and that they found it interesting, and that they will revert to Naveen in the matter in a few days. That's a certain improvement from the days when the computer was just a decoration on the CTMO's table.         

Well, all in all, I think it's all going to happen pretty soon - what I have indeed been more or less hoping for, namely, collapse of BMTC. Because, as long as they 'claim' to be running on profit, they seem to enjoy a free hand to splurge on fanciful VOLVO's and TTMC's. With it going to become increasingly difficult to cover up losses any longer, because of their sheer quantum, I think the government will soon be forced to review the whole approach. And, if by then, the likes of Capt Gopinath (supported by a PIL by Muralidhar Rao) queer the pitch for participation by the private sector, perhaps there can be light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Muralidhar Rao

Muralidhar Rao

Suggestions for BMTC

ಮೇಲೆ
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Hi,
I would like to suggest a few immediate steps that can be taken by BMTC authorities to increase customer usage on their flagship volvo service and also instill confidence in general public regarding the service quality and timings of their regular services as well.

For optimizing revenues from Volvo service, BMTC should consider issuing daily passes on Volvo services in the BBMP limits.  A passenger should be given the option of switching between volvo services and other general services at one-time daily cost of around 50-60 Rupees.  I understand that the current daily pass costs Rs 30 for regular services.  So, this would definitely attract a lot of car/ two wheeler users to consider BMTC Volvo services above their regular mode of transport.

Another point that BMTC authorities should enforce in the drivers through automation is route accountability.  I have myself faced instances of BMTC volvo drivers terminating the service before the original destination citing reasons like we cannot go further.  In such situations the consumer loses his faith in the dependabiltiy of such services after paying a premium amount for the ticket.  GPS tracking and enforcement should help in this direction.  This situation is not restricted to Volvo services.  You can see the same service quality on BIG 10 and other regular services also.  BIG 10 and volvos which are supposed to start from Wipro/Infosys Campus within Electronic City does not originate terminate from these locations and put the customers to unnecessary inconvenience, and they ultimately switch on to other modes of transport.

Volvo Daily passes can be made valid on Airport Vayu Vajras within the BBMP limits.

Best Regards,
Rakesh Roy

Volvo Day passes do exist!

ಮೇಲೆ
148 users have liked.

Dear Rakesh,

BMTC already has a "Daily" pass for Volvo passengers. The pass is called "Gold Day Pass" and is charged Rs. 75. It can be bought from conductors in Volvo buses. It is value for money for a passenger traveling a lot on volvo buses.

BMTC has to go a long way in making their crew accountable. Buses terminating way before their termination point in nothing new for BMTC. On many days, buses never turn up at their origin, forget about it reaching its destination. 

The case is no different about their Volvo services. If you see a bus at a particular time today, never ever expect to see it again the next day at the same time. As a daily passenger on the Arakere-Double Road-Lavelle Road route, I can vouch for the fact that BMTC is no where near for a passenger to depend on a daily basis. I used to initially take a Volvo every morning from Arakere to Double Road and then an ordinary bus from there to St. Marks Road. However, the volvo service turned so unreliable that I shunned it and preferred taking a Big10, or worse - an autorickshaw. Every everning, one can see an obese idiot waiting for hours at Shantinagar waiting for that elusive red coloured monster. On some days a bus would turn up at 1755, sometime at 1815 or worse at 1915. And, BMTC claims in its own records that Bannerghatta Route has revenue akin to an IT sector route.

Currently, BMTC runs one bus behind the other to ITPL - and most of the time I've seen them go empty. Why can't those buses be re-routed to places where there is a shortage of buses?

Post this irresponsible service, BMTC wants passengers to move from cars to buses. This would never happen unless and until the corporation pulls up its socks and improve its service. I am seriously disappointed by the way BMTC operates these Volvos, and then cry about poor patronage. Not ever passenger would be an idiot like me to keep waiting for the bus. 

Either run these buses at a proper frequency or scrap them immediately. Sell them for scrap rate and buy more ordinary buses. We will live with BMTC running its first bus at 0830 and last at 1730 - heck! Who cares about the office passenger? He has his car to go home. BMTC is to run at the staff's convenience and not for passengers.

If BMTC wants to increase ridership, station a traffic controller at each important bus stop, and ensure that the timing each buses pass through is recorded. Drivers should be pulled up if the bus terminates even 100m before its terminus.

Apologies if I sounded rude, but it is just frustration of having to stand at the bus stop every evening for not less than an hour. 

--
Thanks,
Binai Sankar
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Switch to Public Transportation, Save your city

--
Thanks,
Binai Sankar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Switch to Public Transportation, Save your city

Unable to get Gold pass on BMTC volvo bus

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Binai,
It appears that some BMTC conductors are not aware of the existence of the Gold pass. I had gone to the city about a month back and decided to try out Kendra Sarige. After waiting for about 15minutes at the stop, fortunately I was able to flag down a bus. Since I intended to go around the CBD, I asked for a gold pass. However the conductor gestured that he didn’t understand what I had asked for. Since my Kannada knowledge is limited I finally gave him 10 rupees and asked him a ticket for the last stop.

Probably BMTC can bring out a brochure on the KS listing the routes as well as ticket prices that we can show to a conductor when we ask for a ticket in situations like these.
 

 

 


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