Bus Day feedback emails!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 18 January 2010 - 8:26am

As part of 'Take the Bus' campaign, arrangements have been made to help people to send in their comments and suggestions via email (busday@praja.in). All are welcome to post the comments here @ Contact Us

I would be failing in my duty if I do not share the emails that people have began sending it to "busday@paraj.in".

I must admit here that, we shall share all that is good and also share that is not so good. We will try to share all the emails (sans personal info) that are received.

You all are free to post your comments in response to these emails, but restrict your lines to the issues raised or highlighted in the emails. Don't shoot the messenger.

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BusDay Email #1 - No to Bus Day

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 18 January 2010 - 8:28am.

Email from one of the Busday Critric!

Hi,

Just wanted to tell you that I believe a ‘bus-day’, even if well intended, is, IMO, not the direction Praja should take.

People cannot be discomforted just because we are a country of 1.3 billion people, governed by a corrupt lot and such a government and its agency can’t get to plan the city well. A ‘bus-day’ is actually not trying to make the roads traffic free, but only accommodating such a government. Please do not mistake this stand of mine to be nihilistic, let me assure you, it is not.

The direction to work towards is to make sure that the planning of cities is carried out in a competent manner and forward looking.

The situation is analogous to beggary. We should never give alms to a beggar if we really intend to wipe out beggary and build in more dignity. Only in this case, the government seems to deserve to be called the beggar (so that it can remain corrupt) and Praja the abettor in crime.

Bus Politics

Submitted by idontspam on 18 January 2010 - 11:14am.

A ‘bus-day’ is actually not trying to make the roads traffic free, but only accommodating such a government

How will corruption in govt be supported if we decongest streets? That way just by voting for politicians we support corruption, do we stop voting?

Bus day or not getting Public Transport to be better used for our city is in our interest regardless of who is in govt. Bus day is an event which at any cost will spread awareness. Only when the lakhs get on PT will we know how little of PT we actually have. It will also show why we shouldnt put all our eggs in the bus basket and spend on getting Metro, CRS, Light Rail etc for our city.

I feel the main problem with

Submitted by ss87 on 18 January 2010 - 7:22pm.

I feel the main problem with commuters in bangalore is not understanding the routes properly. If we enable them to know bus routes properly that itself will help people travel by bus.

Main thing we require is people knowing that majestic/mket /shivajinagar but corporation/richmond circle also qualify. also are the ring road connections. If we give proper details to public regarding the routes automatically people will switch over.

If we can see websites spread all over like Jaanlo.com in the comments section people have just asked bus routes. There are atleast 3-4 people enquiring the same. It shows how poorly our corporation has conveyed the routes to people.

Well said

Submitted by idontspam on 18 January 2010 - 11:24pm.

It shows how poorly our corporation has conveyed the routes to people.

Easily available route map and timetable is all one needs to get started. We should be able to get that online and via telephone/cellphone apart from having it displayed at the stops. No multi crore underpass project this is, simple exposing of data that is already available in their systems.

BTIS shows numbers and route but no timetable. Hope the data is updated. Maybe somebody who already uses the bus can check it.

Many routes havent been added

Submitted by ss87 on 19 January 2010 - 7:58pm.

Many routes havent been added in btis.in. It was only recently tha 600 series buses were added into it(nearly 2 years after they were introduced). Many routes have a very good frequency with a bus every 5-10 minutes once on an average. Atleast they could have made a mention of some of them in the website.

Pls, restric the comments to issues raised in the emails!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 19 January 2010 - 8:14pm.

Would appreciate if comments post on this discussion are restricted to issues raised in email(s).

Post all other comments on relevant posts. You might as well want to create a new post.

Usage of Buses

Submitted by Samir on 20 January 2010 - 11:31am.

In my view, Bus Day should be every day. However, in order for this to happen, the following needs to be done, and on priority:

a) Bus timings (at least start point timings) MUST be made available for ALL routes. This used to be available on the old bmtc website, but the new one has it only for the Airport as well as Big 10 buses. When can we expect this?

b) Information on how to get from one place to another should be more easily accessbile. While BTIS attempts to do this, it is not robust information.

In my view, these two things (which are pretty simple to implement), will facilitate people to travel more by bus. It only needs an attitude change from the past - BMTC should become more marketing oriented, and use newer technologies like the website, SMS, etc. for this purpose.

With Regards, Samir Kumar

One email to busday@praja

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 21 January 2010 - 6:10pm.

Hi,

I am not able to get 500D Volvo bus at Silk board around 07:45 am to 08:45 am.

Thanks & Regards

Help commute between JP Nagar 1st Phase and Bannerghatta!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 23 January 2010 - 10:39am.

Email received at Bus Day contact email.

Hi,
I commute between JP Nagar 1st Phase (Near RV Dental) and Bannerghatta Road Dairy Circle. I would like to use the bus, but as of now, I need to take three buses to travel from JPN-1st PH to Dairy Circle,

1) RV Dental to Raghavendra Matth (Jayanagar 5th Block)
2) Jayanagar 5th Block to East end (Jayanagar 9th Block)
3) Walk till gurappana palya
4) Gurappana Palya to Dairy circle.

And the distance is less than 5 KM.

Is there a way in which BMTC can address this (and other such issues?)

Security in Buses!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 23 January 2010 - 10:43am.

Email regarding the need for security in Buses.

Hi WhoEverConcerned,

I am a software professional appreciate the BUS day event. I personally travel by bus every day to office at ITPL from my home at Chamarajpet.

One important caution!
One of the very bad experiences I had in the past is, My favorite mobile phone was stolen in the jam packed BMTC bus. There are many pick pocketers and thieves waiting for this opportunity. As we expect BUS day to be a success, the robbers expect the jam packed buses on the BUS day. My sincere request is to enhance the security... by probably adding Mufti's, civil dressed cops etc.,
BUS day shouldn't be a success at the cost of common man being proved as a victim!

Regards,

Uncourteous Conductors and Drivers!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 28 January 2010 - 9:22pm.

Email reply from one of our contacts:

My dearest concerned citizen,

I generously appreciate your esteemed cause and concern for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport system which is undoubtedly one of the best in our nation. In any case, the extended frequency and amazing sophistication imbued in BMTC local transport buses never goes unnoticed to any new comer to this green city.

But ...

With deep shame and regret i corroborate that the attitude with which the proud employees of BMTC are running this transport is shockingly alarming!

I m precisely talking about the conductors and drivers in these vehicles who seemed have inherited these buses from their forefathers!!! Its amazingly true that you cannot get the change for a 8/- rupee ticket, given a ten rupee note, but quite certainly receive a deep frown and / or one or two local language bad words for expecting the self assumed tip from the reverent condutors.
Its an unanimous opinion that a non kannadiga cannot get a fair justice in local buses and its not limited to the transport [the topic can go off guard so i m avoiding to write for the same].
The virtuosity with which they demand the tip / bribe is really magnanimous.
There seems to a false prestige with these blue collar employees that the passengers and especially non local ones, are bound to board the transport and strictly expected to abide to the rules of bribery which is unimaginably shameful in the wildest dreams.

My sincere suggestion to my dearest citizen, Please and if possible kindly let each and every employee of this transport organization that its because of these passengers only they are receiving their monthly income and having their food and house. The abashing attitude is definitely going to help neither them nor the society in a whole. Let the working class sector know that a non local white collar employee also need to work the same way in this city to earn his bread and butter.

Your propagation should also involve making these transport employee aware of the issue which i have just mentioned. Mere education doesn't give us values. Its the society which does! And definitely the values in our So Called BMTC best buses is really appalling!

India is uneducated and shameful !! And i cannot give a better example than this....

A austere campaign provoking people to board buses is utterly unless the values reflecting in the former are appealing. We really don't want a non Indian to see this in our buses and go back to his country and illustrate India for "heights of demeaning values" in their moral science subjects.

I hope i have made my point!

Good luck with your campaign.
Cheers...

BMTC Conductors - Not the lone example

Submitted by Naveen on 28 January 2010 - 10:12pm.

Whilst the author of the script above has gone hammer & tongs against BMTC conductors, he seems to have overlooked Delhi bus conductors, who are much worse. Recently, on a bus in Delhi, I observed a conductor evading me when I had been getting off the bus & due 38rs change (I had handed him a 50rs note). I had to yell at him, almost to get back the change.

I find conductors only in Chennai & Mumbai reasonably good, amongst all the cities. Bus conductors in all other cities are improfessional & try to fleece passengers - Bangalore is no exception.

Naveen, it is mixture of feelings!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 28 January 2010 - 11:09pm.

Naveen,

The attitude mentioned in the email is not just confined to Buses alone. We see this attitude in govt offices, agencies where one would be better off if he/she knows the local official language.

If we separate the issues from all the local/non-local tones, it just boils down to being courteous to my customers. All that BMTC like corporations needs to do is train and sensitized all their staff to extend courtesy in their interfaces with the public.

The attitude stems from linguistic/regional chauvinism mixed with feeling of being I am Raja and you are Praja. The concept of 'Customer' is everything as in words of Mahatma Gandhi is alien to all our govt offices/agencies which provides the public services. Their monoplostic existance makes them more arrogant.

Also just because, DTC staff are rude, lets not condone such behavior at other places, even if it happens in BMTC too. I am sure there numbers are few and majority are good hearted souls and wonderful human beings. We should acertainly appreciate such drivers/conductors and give them 'Jaddo ki Jhappi' for thier dedicated services.

Attitudes similar everywhere

Submitted by Naveen on 29 January 2010 - 12:00pm.

Syed - though what you (& the author of the comments above) stated might be true, isn't this the fact just about anywhere in the country & anyplace in the world too ? Unfortunately, this has to be accepted just about everywhere, even in this age. I was in China recently & found attitudes the same, if not worse - bus conductors or metro wardens dont even bother to reply to enquiries from foreigners, or reply only in chinese. Customs & immigration are particularly much more severe with outsiders. My company's staff employed there have undergone training in chinese to learn a few common usage chinese terms for this reason.

Within India, attitudes in Tamil Nadu & Bengal are examples. Govt offices in Mumbai (not to mention the recent attacks on biharis) is another example. I have had similar experiences in Kerala too.

Contrary to what you say, I think attitudes are somewhat better in karnataka, though there still are some biases at play. In my opinion, these cannot be erradicated solely within one entity, such as BMTC or in one place such as bangalore, but are linked to & will be dependent on how attitudes are elsewhere. All we can do is merely emphasize customer needs, but this alone will not bring about change on the ground since there are many larger issues that need resolving.

Observations

Submitted by ss87 on 29 January 2010 - 2:59pm.

Having travelled length and breadth in MTC chennai and BMTC Bangalore I find BMTC conductors and drivers mroe corteous. Frankly speaking I never had any problem in any of the bus I have travelled in the past 8 years. It also depends on the fact how we speak to them.

Generally while requiring a change,I never hand them a Rs.100/- note. I generally buy my ticket and when the bus nears the destination I hand them over the note and take the change. They will also have no frustration as generally there will be lesser people boaridng in the last 2-3 stops and they also would have got sufficient change.

Also the conductors here respond well.The problem stated that non-kannadigas face problem-Many conducors hail from interior karnataka and obviosuly dont know anything else other than kannada. So they will be answering in kannada only.

Also kindly understand tehy also have frustrations. Unlike some places BMTC doesnt have a conductor seat-he has to remain standing. Many of them begin their trip at 5AM and many of them will face ordeal fo peak hour rush and traffic also. We as passengers must understand their ordeal and try to co-operate.

Some good, some not so good!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 30 January 2010 - 10:40am.

The initiative of ‘Bus Day’ is a great idea. Seeing the roads less congested, less polluted will be healthy in all aspects- for the mind and body!

I have discovered the joy of using buses to commute from work to head homewards. I do hope through your initiative, and/or your contacts with the BMTC feedback can be passed on for the improvement and increased use of this form of transportation.

Based on my experience I’m sharing this.

Some positives/pros

    * Buses are safer than autos in some respects
    * A cost effective alternative
    * Bridges the Cultural divide when one travels by bus

Downsides/Cons

    * Safety: Neither the conductor nor the driver really cares to stop the bus, and commuters must jump into the moving bus which is needless to say – dangerous and unsafe.
    * Schedules: Schedules are most often not on time( I say a little prayer everyday to ensure my bus from Mysore Rd to Shivajinagar arrives since I change 2 buses and then take an auto all in 2 hours!). With erratic schedules, one cannot rely on the system.
    * Route Information : BMTC websites and call centers have never provided me with any information. I’ve had to ask frequent travelers constantly for updated information.
    * Awareness: What is the difference between Big Ten, BMTC, Blue and Orange buses? There’s no forum to ask these pertinent questions.
    * Network Expansion: Very few direct buses. For the most part it requires 2 bus changes to get to the required destination. Only few routes there are direct buses.

If and when the timeliness improves, network increases then more people will be encouraged to travel by bus.

That being said, today, I will probably continue to take route 223A /239A or whichever bus takes me to my destination.:-)

Have a good weekend!

Warm Regards,

Till these steps are not taken declaring BUS DAY will be a farce

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 31 January 2010 - 7:40pm.

Dear friends,

I am truly concerned about oil fume pollution out of personal cars used by many Bangalore citizen. Most of them even I use a car used to go office alone in car in absence of suitable pulling partner due to type of job , uncertain return time, uncertain tours . But using bus can be way to reduce road congestion

But unfortunately our buses don’t cover all corners of city. Citizens prepared to walk 1km both sides also don’t have bus option.
I have seen many auto rickshaw make share trips to industrial area in penneya in absence of bus facility and they are quite loaded. If we cant run big buses because economical unavailability we may run smaller vehicles like tata 410/ tata sumo/ Eicher or allow small operators officially to run these smaller vehicle. This will provoke many office goer to take up public transport. With this the monopoly of auto rickshaw over charging in city will stop definitely.
We have to display bus nos their route , timings at bus stop to help people what bus to expect at what time. I have seen at Europe bus stops to display all these data.

Till these steps are not taken declaring BUS DAY will be a farce.

Regards
Sspraying system India ltd

Need Bus route details from Electronic City to Global Village

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 1 February 2010 - 8:15pm.

Hi,
In the bus root details, no where the root 375 A mentioned. I am staying in Electronic city and working in Global Village. Can you send me the Bus route details from Electronic City to Global Village?

Thanks in advance.

Kayalvizhi R

Buses which goes to Bagmane Tech Park from Malleswaram 18th Crs?

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 1 February 2010 - 8:18pm.

Hi,

Could you guide me on route and bus numbers to catch for reaching C V Raman Nagar – Bagmane Tech Park from Malleswaram 18^th Cross?

Lat mile connectivity to Global Village!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 1 February 2010 - 8:22pm.

We have 4 facilities in Global Village [#1 Global Village, Mylasandra, Mysore Road, Bangalore 560059]. Including other companies [MphasiS, MindTree, TI, Arvin Meritor] close to 8000 employee in the Global Village Tech Park. The closest BMTC bus stop we have is RV College. However, this stop is a good 2.5 KM to the facility. Are there any plans to get the Busses into the Global Village Tech Park?

There will be better participation if people will not have to walk the 2.5 KM from RV College Bus Stop to their offices J

Group Manager

Mphasis

Need Bus info for JPN 9ph to CV Raman Nagar!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 1 February 2010 - 8:42pm.

Dear Sir,

I don’t have a bus starting from my place JP Nagar 9th Phase to CV Raman Nagar. How should I use this facility?

Please confirm.

Thanks!

Global Sales Support

HP Enterprise Services

Looking for route info to Reach Global Village

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 5:35pm.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Kindly provide transportation facility from following location .We don’t have any direct buses and charges also, we need to buy tickets for two route buses to come to RV college(500k and 500ks).So if we have a bus as mentioned it would be helpful for all commuters travelling from in and around Vijaynagar.

Route - Malleswaram to Global village via Vijaynagar,RPC layout ,mysore road ,RV College ,Global Village junction.
And other option direct from Vijaynagar to RV College.
Regards,

We support this campaign.

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 5:40pm.

Hi Sir/Madam, We would like to a support this event & encourage our employees to commute in Bus. Regards Logica

very Good initiative and I appreciate the idea.

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 5:45pm.

Ladies/Gentlemen
This is a very Good initiative and I appreciate the idea. I understand, when I visualize the difference in space used, in using a car V/s. a bus. Thanks for this great Initiative.

Couple of suggestions:

I use the Vajra Bus service, one time a week, to contribute the social responsibility.
However, if you can influence increase the frequency of buses, that will convert some of the dissat of customers into satisfaction.
Is it possible to look at starting buses / ending bus services at places like ECO space, Manyatha Embassy etc.. which are business parks like ITPL?

Thanks again.
Firstsource

Good Initiated… I liked it very much!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 5:46pm.

Good Initiated… I liked it very much... I m in support of it………… Aricent

suggestion for Take a bus once in a week to office!

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 5:59pm.

Hi,

This is very good idea to promote in Bangalore where traffic is big concern for daily commuters.

I would like to share one more idea similar to this:

Take a bus once in a week to office. This would put thousands of vehicle out of the road every day and still people can commute by their vehicle 4 days a week.

Please promote this idea if you liked it.

Thanks.

PS: China followed similar idea to lessen the air pollution during Olympics time J

Regards,

Jayadeep

NeedRoute Maps for buses to Global village Campus?

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 2 February 2010 - 6:00pm.

Hi! Can we have Route Maps for buses from the city to Global village Campus? Peace, Muzaffar

TCS Supports Bus Day !

Submitted by kbsyed61 on 3 February 2010 - 10:01am.

Dear Sir,

Thank you very much for the mails. We are supporting the initiative and we are intimating all our associate to support the same. We are glad to share the information below sent to all our Bangalore associates through our internal broadcast.

Regards,

Tata Consultancy Services
No. 69/2, Salarpuria G.R.Tech Park, JAL Building,
Mahadevapura,
K.R.Puram
Bangalore - 560018,Karnataka
India

BMTC BusDay - Connectivity from HAL airport to ORR-Sarjapur road

Submitted by Samkumar on 4 May 2010 - 1:41pm.

Hats off to BMTC for introducing Busday and especially the Volvo services! i took the bus today to try out. But, faced problems.

I live in Kaggadasapura area. Need to come to HAL Museum first. Then take a bus towards Marathahalli. Then take another bus from Marathahalli towards Outer ring road-Sarjapur. This really makes me think many a times before taking the bus.

a) Could have been better if there is direct service from HAL airport towards ORR-Sarjapur road. Hope BMTC takes note of this and introduce the same by next Busday.

b) Also, from HAL airport or HAL museum, need to take multiple transports or Autos (who usually charges double the meter amount, IF meter is working) to reach GM palya, Malleshpalya, Vignannagar, Kaggadasapura. Considering the not so wide roads in these areas, if BMTC introduces mini buses to cover the following route:

HAL airport - BEML gate - GM palya - Malleshpalya - Vignannagar - Basavanangar - HAL museum

Frequency of buses could be every 15 mins (during peak hours) and every half hour after that, would be nice.

hope the BMTC authorities take notice.

thanks

Sam