Share your daily commute story - Everyone has a story to tell!
In run up to upcoming 'Take the Bus' event on Feb 4th, few journalist have been inquiring about citizen's personal experiences of daily commute. Interest is in personal and human strories, more than analysis.
We all go through the daily ordeal of daily commute to work be at a company or business house. I can tell with a certainty that every daily commuter who lives in cities like Bengaluru in India or elsewhere has a story to tell - some very rosy, most very interesting, and few disturbing ones as well.
The stories describe the changing and crumbling civic infrastructure in cities, increased stress levels and related complaints. But you never know, ideas and solutions often pop up from these very same experiences. So please share them here, and eventually with more Bangaloreans via mainstream media.
Few lines, couple of paragraphs would do. Doesn't matter if you travel by BUS, or Car or motorbike or bicycle or foot. Just mention your mode of transport, how things have changed in past 5 years, what would make your commute comfortable, interesting incidences that occur etc.
Syed
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Considering my daily story,
Considering my daily story, right from 2001 my mode of travel has been by bus. Come rain or shine I have always used the bus. One thing I must admit that rain or shine I have always used the bus but never have I travelled on the foot board. Maximum i have travelled is standing near the door.
I have travelled by bus as early as 5AM to as late as 10:30PM . My PU college timings really made the difference as timings were 7:30-11:30 time when buses look out for passengers.
Public transport has really improved in past 9 years. In 2001 there was just a 201 plying on ring road but today u have so many buses there. Though not many chanegs happened in JP nagar except volvo introduction,many other areas got benefitted.
Buses really helped my planning and proper understanding of Bangalor City. Also it helped me from changing from shortest route to most frequetn route. Though Vasanthnagar is closer to Shivajinagar travelling via Town hall was faster because of the frequecy of buses available.
Intoduction of volvoes is a boon. Many people use the same. Now I even observe on ITPL routes where Volvoes like 500K come jam packed whereas an ordinary 502 travelling on same route has quite an amount of breathing space.
Also observing bus routes help in knowin new roads. I did not know there was a route from Kaggalipura on kanakapura road to Bidadi on Mysore road till I saw route no. 211N(K.R.Market-->Banashankari-->Kaggalipura-->Bidadi)
Come what may I am not ready (atleast at present) to forgo my comfor of travelling by bus for following reasons
1.Possible to help people with routes,numbers and also at times giving up seats
2.No tension of signals/traffic. If frustration increases tune into FM/iPod
3.Household members are relaxed even if I get delayed by 20-25 minuets on a day because probably bus came late
4.Too tensed up and u have got a seat->Have a good sleep(But remember to wake up when stop arrives)
5.You travel by the same route everyday conductors too become cloe enough and so will the co-passengers. So much that once when a person asked conductor something in Hindi,he reqyested the person to ask me the same and I guided him much to the passeger's astonishment. And he wont frown at you also if u give him a Rs.100/- note for Rs.10/- ticket.
Going to office by BMTC story from shande!
Courtesy: shande
http://www.naanushande.com/2009/02/going-to-office-by-bmtc.html
"...But with the comfort and flexibility, many not so desirable things come part and parcel. There was no direct bus from my home(Hanumanthanagar) to the office Sigma Tech Park(Varthur Kodi). There used to be a constant daemon running in my mind about which option to opt with varying comfort, convenience and cost. Finding the best option in terms of cost, time and convenience had become a NP-hard problem. In six months I managed to find a optimal option in terms cost, time and convenience.
But from a different perspective the activity was a fun mainly because I was breaking pattern everyday. Sometimes patience used to pay off ... other times it didn't use to pay at all..."
My 2 stories ...
My 2 stories are already here, can describe in greater human or technical details if a journalist would be interested.
1) Big10/Vajra based commute, which I want to to everyday, but I can't simply because of the problem in getting from HAL airport bus stand to Bagmane tech park. Such a simple thing to fix, and I alone can convince 200 more people to switch to Buses if shuttles were introduced, or auto fares were regulated (can't haggle every morning with them)
http://praja.in/en/~bangalore/blog/silkboard/2009/03/05/tried-office-commute-using-big10-a-report
2) Anecdote around how I can't take 333Z, 335EP etc routes from cross town visit to relatives simply because I just don't know the schedule, or frequency how long I will have to wait at the connecting bus stand. Very simple thing again.
http://www.praja.in/en/projects/2874/announcement/need-route-info-bus-day
@silk board Connecting to
@silk board
Connecting to Big-10 at Domlur is the 201-R volvo which will take you to CV Raman Nagar. the bus comes via Koramangla Ring road and stops near Doopanhalli on 100ft road.
When the interchanging point is going to be a bus stand like majestic from where all major routes have a freuqncy of a bus every 5 minutes I dont think it will be a problem again. Criss cross of town majestic is a major bus stand for an interchange and the most well connected bus stand.
My experience
My experience is posted here:
http://www.praja.in/en/bl...
That one month has extended forever. I am continuing to use BMTC only due to time constraints to take the office shuttle which comes too early. My office also has provided excellent Airconditioned buses at the cost of just 1,000 rupees and maintain the timings too. But it comes too early in the morning which has been the problem.
As I have posted, my home is walkable on ORR and office on ORR itself after Marathalli. There is no direct bus due to various disconnected 500 series. I daily take V500K till Marathalli and changeover to any bus to Doddenakundi on ORR. There are V500A and V500D running between Hebbal and Banashankari, Silkboard respectively, but their frequency is very less. V500K becomes very crowded once we cross BTM and lots of stops after Silkboard till Marathalli in front of the new SEZ companies.
Changeover has been the major problem. It takes away time and ordinary buses on ORR is too crowded including Jantis. I would be a happy person if the Big Circle buses makes full circle with a good frequency also with Volvos or Marcopolos also with the option of express(less stop buses).
Silk Board Bus Stop (Towards HSR) - No Proper Lighting
There is no proper lighting in the Silk Board bus stop towards HSR. After
7pm, it is very dark and crowded. I lost my mobile from my shoulder bag last
week at the bus stop.
There are no frequent volvo buses towards ITPL after 6.pm. Came to bus stop
around 6.30pm. Waited for 45 minutes and the bus came. Most of the buses go
to depot 25. Between 6.30pm and 7.15pm, my mobile got lost.
2 requests:
1) Please put some street lights in Silk Board Bus stop (Towards HSR).
2) Increase the frequency of volvo buses (500 series) towards ITPL.
for the past 3 years i am
for the past 3 years i am travelling by BMTC buses to my office..first reason being..in the mornings i do not want to spoil my mood arguing with the auto drivers..and also intro' and frequency of volvos were increased in my route..thanks to bmtc.
when volvo services were not predictable i used to take the autos..but i stay closer to itpl.. esp during peak hours u get volvo in less than 10 mins.. my office is in inner ring road..so either i walk from domlur or take a rick for the last 1-2km stretch..
but now bmtc has introduced 411L volvo in the route.. but the frequncy and timing is weird.. there is none between 8.15 and 9.15..which is a peak time for office goers..
but even otherwise i will continue to travel in buses..i feel it is safer..bmtc staff are much more courteous than the auto drivers and more reliable than the drivers we hire for our cars.