BMTC Meeting Update - Need innovative ideas!

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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.