The new low-floor buses procured under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) will gradually replace the 500 and 501 series. Per this report
The most public transport my aged parents have used was the 500/501 ring routes. They used it mostly to get to KR Puram and Mysore road from Hebbal and found the low floor Volvos comfortable. I am glad the route still remains and it is a low floor. I would have preferred if they ran articulated buses on this route as there are priority lanes planned. But then I dont know the traffic on this route they always found seats to sit when they travelled off peak hours. I am assuming the strech on the southern side is more populated than the northern strech they frequented. If this route connects some metro stations along the way (Peenya, mysore road, byappanahalli etc) will be good. the only thing they found hard was to get to the ring road from the local area, classic last mile issue due to lack of reach. It is important to note last mile is very important if buses travel only on major roads like ring road etc.
The planned bus
An articulated bus for a trunk route
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Are Articulated Buses Suitable On ORR ?
I would have preferred if they ran articulated buses on this route as there are priority lanes planned
Apart from last mile, one of the problems faced by BMTC is frequency of services, as opined by many.
If articulated buses are run, frequency may dip. Articulated /wide-bodied buses are more suitable where loads are high all through the day (within the city). An earlier study report had quoted that such buses are difficult to run in bangalore due to road width limitations.
Thus, the ring road services may not qualify for such buses, yet.
Numbers needed
An earlier study report had quoted that such buses are difficult to run in bangalore due to road width limitations
Not on ring road. This is one road which is wide enough for a bus priority lane.
Thus, the ring road services may not qualify for such buses, yet.
This conculsion needs numbers. 500/501 has been on for so long that there must be enough user data available for this route.
Include new ring road
It is very interesting discussion. I think these buses need to ply on full circles (not like banashankari 2 marathahalli, or silkboard 2 hebbal etc). Say if 50 buses on clockwise direction and other 50 buses anti-clockwise (I think for every 5 minutes one bus is good frequency and later new buses can be added based on demand).
Here one more thing BMTC need to consider is new ring road between magadi & mysore road (exactly in between nagarbhavi 2nd stage). Instead of running these buses on present ring road (between magadi & mysore road) which is longer and not properly planned if these buses runs on new ring road (which is almost completed and well planned) the enough time can be saved. Because it is said that new ring road will reduce around 13KM. BMTC need to seriously look into it. Because anyway few buses need to run on this new ring road. And also this will provide the connectivity to nagarbhavi 2nd stage and other areas.
Thx,
Ramesh
Signal free ring road..
..the govt's plan to make a signal free ring road from Silkboard(Hosur Rd) - Tumkur road will really help this initiative..
The current ring road busses, including the articulated ones, have a good patronage and is almost full all the time..hence normalizing these routes and providing last mile connectivity will be crucial for success..
Outer body painting is abstract-Can't we have tourism paintings
Big circle buses may be an attractive proposition by discontinuing 500/501 services and may become popular and convenient. Let us wish it a success.
My take: as could be seen from the pictures posted, there is so much of abstractness in the outer painting of the buses. They convey nothing and appear just dabbling of remaining paints sprayed in an abstract manner.
My request to authorities is to allow well known painters or those artists who depend upon art work for their livelihood and who are good at creating attractive paintings of tourism related subject matters on the outer body of these buses may be engaged.
This way, BMTC can provide some gainful earning for those poor artists, who, at present are not thriving well.
Such paintings will not only be good to look at but also promote tourism of the State and its culture, tradition. painting of sceneries from KRS, Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park, wildlife, flora/fauna, Sahyadri mountain ranges, Western Ghats (minus human figures or paintings of statues that have sprung up of late).
Some buses are being used for ads purpose and if BMTC is raking in the non-plan profit to get some revenue, no probs.
- Vasanth Mysoremath
Include new ring road contd.........
One more thing I forgot to mention. In present route between mysore & magadi road (where long route is present that touches kengeri also) seperate buses can be plied. This is mainly because people going from yeshwanthpur/nandini layout etc to BSK/JP Nagar/BTM/EC will reduce the time drastically. And also this will reduce the entire time taken to complete one circle and avoid extra unnecessary journey.
Painting the buses
Dear Mr. VKM,
I agree that the buses should be paited in a pleasing colour by profficient artists.
But it is more important to paint the route details on the sides with the route map to make them useful to the commuters also.
See the fate of the new bus shelters where only ads are painted pushing the name of the bus stop to a corner with invisible size of the letters.
K.V.Pathy
Not all buses travel on a permanent routes if details r painted
Pathy Sir,
I agree. But for over 50 years of my commuting exeprience in public transport, I have experienced myraid problems by getting into buses that had been painted route nos., timings etc., and dozing off because it used to be long route journey.
Finally I was being woken up by the conduct or at the terminal only to find that I have landed at the wrong place. even the boards displayed in the front don't tally. Check it out.
I have never seen either a ordinary bus or a pushpak or a red bus plying on the route that has been painted on the sides.Forget it.
- But at least some good painting will be pleasing to the eyes.
- Vasanth Mysoremath
Big Circle .. Not full circle
Big Circle buses with a good frequency is very much needed on the ORR but it should make full circle or atleast semicircle between Hebbal and Kengeri via Marathalli-Banashankari.
Currently the Big Circle buses are just running between Hebbal and Banashankari and the frequency is very minimum. Also night service is needed in this route just like Pushpak night service.
Current discontinuity of 500 series buses like Hebbal to Banashankari, Hebbal to Marathalli, Banashankari to Kengeri will make one to hop on and hop off. But, multiple waits wastes one's time. Full circle or atleast semicircle buses with a good frequency like Big 10s can end the frustation of ORR travellers.