New reforms to be implemented(BMTC)

@ Shashi Kumar  -  Excellent list you have drawn up. I can also add a lot more to that. But, when BMTC is being showered with all kinds of awards for what I would consider a mediocre service at best, and there are enough people in this world to applaud every 'achievement' of theirs, why do you think they should bother with you at all?

Yes, they did introduce the VOLVO services to BIAL (as recommended by some Swedish agency), and then extended on to other routes (that they are losing money is another matter); they did invite Dr Ashwin Mahesh onto their advisory panel, and introduced the Big-10 services as per his suggestion; they did hear out the PRAJA team that met up with them so many times, and implemented a few of their suggestions; they did implement one or two suggestions made by the Commuter Comfort Task Force, that I co-chaired; and they had perhaps also implemented a few of the suggestions made by any number of advisers/ experts that preceded all of us. But, all through, it's been these marginal 'improvements', mostly to satisfy some vocal sections; never anything comprehensive. And, while that kind of an 'improvement' may satisfy, and in fact delight yesterday's bus user, if you want to get toady's car and two-wheeler users to come on board, it will require a lot more doing. And, I can't think of a government monopoly ever matching up to the task. So, in my opinion, very clearly, the answer lies here.

In the meanwhile, let me not dissuade you from piling up your suggestions (for BMTC), like the rest of Prajagalu have been doing from the time we started, about three years back. Like it says in the song - hum hoange kaamyaav, aeeeeek din - keep trying (and praying); it may happen one day, though very unlikely in my lifetime (unless by some miracle).

Incidentally, I went into the Hubli-Dharwar Municipality pavilion at the 'Municipalika' exhibition last Saturday, and met up with Special Officer, HDMC, in-charge of the show. Amongst other things, I asked him about his opinion on the "Bendre Nagara Saakige", the private bus services operating between Hubli & Dharwar. He was all praise for the service, and readily admitted that it was far better than that provided by the SRTC there. So, I asked him why are the people not demanding that they be allowed to operate in other routes also. He said he didn't know, but that perhaps they should. And, that was from a government official. When I asked him if I could quote him, he requested not to. Govt officials have a reason; but, what reason do Prajagalu and the rest of the world have?

One serious thing we require BMTC to do is first among everything else allott the stages properly and adhere to the norms of keeping a stage every 2 kms once and not 500 mts once as it is happenig now

The other major point that BMTC has to do is take feedback from customers. They can keep drop boxes at important bus stops and terminuses where people could post the suggesstions. A weekly/Bi-weekly review of the same must be done and the needs of the customers must be adhered too.

BMTC takes too many suggesstions frm too many agencies. First was the Trunk routes and Metro bus services which were discontinued later. Next came the Big-10's doing the ame job as what a normal BMTC bus was doing and the failed Ho-Ho conecpt. Then came over the special ones which were again unplanned-the specials copuld have been run in the peak hour mainly rather than the whole day. Dont know how long more BMTC is going to do the trial and error method.

One main thing BMTC must do is extend the services. Why still follow majestic/shivajinagar/market concept. And worse of all why should all buses from market to Hebbal run into and out of majestic instead of cauvery bhavan and Golf course route. If that had been done MBS-1 would have been a good success-many people didnt board for main reason it didt touch majestic.

Erstwhile BTS had a good concept. Though the buses were very few there was uniformity in the routes that ran-all routes had equal buses to maintain the frequency of a bus every hour and what a conectivity-Jayanagar-Vijayanagar, Jayanagar-Yeshvantapur, Jayanagar-indiranagar were all connected. Now many of them are missing. Out of the routes only 60A, 75,77B,are few buses which are still running. The old Bangalore routes can be re-introduced on modified routes Eg: 7D from banashankari via Jayanagar, Sanjay gandhi, Bannerghatta road, Mayo hall and indiranagar to Jeevanbhimanagar or 1 from Jayanagar via Corporation to Malleshwaram/Yeshvantapur , 23A from 3rd phase via Jayanagar, Shivajinagar and mekhri circle to Yeshvantapur etc atleast connecting the old bangalore localities well . it is not that they dont have sufficient buses- havent utilized the same properly.

Also the major point as pointed out by Mr. Sashikumar is the lunch time. General shift buses as well as Night halt buses go missing in ths period inconvineincing,. Why shouldnt drivers and conductors change over at stops itself instead of buses retuning back to depots-All bus stands have time keepers-collection can be handed over to them and he can deposit the same in the depot while returning after making a note of which route gave what collection

@ Mr Pathy  -  There's this forum already. What I think of it I have mentioned in the post itself. But, perhaps it suits BMTC's purpose adequately.

@Sashi kumar

These are junctions which we see regularly-it happens at all junctions. Once as I got down from Brindavan and waited for 500A a Janti-vahana came(scenario 2 years back itself). The bus was quite crowded(Jus imagine-Janti vahana very crowded-65 seating). But almost 60% people got down at K.R.Puram and I got a seat to travel all the way back home. It actually continued-people boarded at K.R.Puram to Marathahalli, Marathahalli to Ibblur, Ibblur to HSR layout, Silk  board and all other junctions we speak of. And today each of these junctions are getting a flyover so the effect to Bannerghatta Road is just going to spread.

It is time BMTC provides Circular feeders connecting the main road, Ring road, take the next main road and reach back via the inner road. This way connectivity will improve and people will als get empty buses for travelling. About  5-6 buses per route at 10 minutes interval will be sufficient to travel.

Also I think the present traffic officer (CTMO) doesnt look into the complaints so much. Earlier when I used to mail him within a week I used to get to see the action. But now that doesnt seem though I get a reply from grahakshakti promising action.

Regaring the suggestion boxes it must bemad emandatory to be looked officals. Atleast they can start by putting the same in Volo and move on to ordinary.

Also for the past 2-3 days one of my friends have complained against Uttarahalli depot-seems to be too many irregularity in services. And surprisingly when he called up BMTC he got a response saying the dpot has got too many complaints and BMTC will take action at earliest-only dont know which is the earliest

BANGALORE: The situation at the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s Hennur depot was tense on Saturday, as drivers and conductors protested the apathy of a BMTC official. They alleged that the official restrained them from taking one of the BMTC drivers, who had suffered a massive heart attack, to the hospital.

They claim the delay had claimed the employee’s life. Mallikarjun (32), a BMTC driver on the morning shift, had a sudden cardiac arrest at around 7.30 am and had to be rushed to the hospital. However, when the employees tried to use the BMTC bus to take their colleague to the hospital, the depot mechanical head, R Ashok, objected.

BMTC buses are misused for political rallies to ferry MLA's to resort's and when an employee is dying the BMTC bosses try to STOP THEM.

Wonder why 108 was not called.....????

Bendre Saarige private operators mostly operate buses between Hubli & Dharwad (inter-city), where passenger volumes are higher. The city /rural routes remain neglected

Very simply a result of the license - permit raaj. Facilitate their entry, and they will meet the demand far more effectively than any govt set up can

apart from unionization by the private bus operators & other well known problems, such as bus owners with political connections who corrupt the system

Ironically, that's exactly what the Hindu article has pointed out as what's wrong with the NWKRTC operations, while saying nothing adverse about Bendre Nagara Saarige operations. And, while I expect even an 'advanced fault-finding search' on 'Bendre Nagara Saarige' will not throw up anything more than that, BMTC's incapacity/ incompetence is for everyone to see all over PRAJA.
 

So, are BMTC's 'baby steps' at reforms good enough? I guess the answer to that is a unanimous no. Then, can BMTC be made to speed up its pace of reforms? I think the answer I am getting to that is also a no. So, where do we go from here?

Status quo? Is sufferance our only destiny?

Private sector entry has set altogether new standards in telecom, airline, banking, insurance, and whichever services have been opened out to them. Even in inter-city bus services (inspite of all the artificialities in the licensing processes), a VRL alone operates 6 multi-axle VOLVO bus services between Bangalore and Mumbai daily, apart from various other grades of services by them as well as by various other players. But, somehow, when it comes to city bus services, apparently they just don't seem to be able to get their act together. All they can provide are wooden floored buses, window tarpaulins & bench seats, apart from resorting to wrestling & catfights. What is this peculiarity about public bus transport services that it makes it so? May be we should ask CiSTUP to do a study?

Whatever, we have to have solutions soon enough, since costs related to usage of individualised forms of transport, not just to the individual concerned but to the city as a whole, and in very many ways, are shooting up by the day (check this). And, like a wise man has stated elsewhere, may be "solutions are more feasible when obfuscation is broken down".
 

Can BMTC be made to speed up its pace of reforms?

I think BMTC will operate the way it is "handled" in the tug of war that is always on between various forces that include demands from various highly diverse groups of users, ministers, political considerations, etc etc. Despite these obstacles, I think it is doing a fair job.

For comparison, travel by buses in Mumbai is pathetic as buses are so heavily overcrowded, not to mention the unpredictability on most routes due to various ongoing construction works. The only places where dependability is better is at train stations since these are focal points. Compared with this, I think it is much simpler & better to use buses in bangalore along the G10 routes or from the three focal points. This may change with the Metro as buses would be made available from every station with common ticketing.

Travel by Public transport will always include some degree of "sufferance" since it can never get everyone to their doorsteps nor arrive at times that each commuter wishes. Hence, the criticism & complaints would always be heard by those that have "higher" inconveniences, in comparison since it can never be made pefect for everyone.

I think the complaint about last mile connectivity is also much exaggerated. Buses cannot always operate where development has taken place, like on extremely narrow roads. It's easy to blame BMTC for not providing "last mile" instead of questioning oneself as to why he chooses to put up business or offices on such narrow corridors after bribing officials!

new standards in telecom, airline, banking, insurance

I wonder why this illogical comparison continues & does not seem to end - this seems purely argumentative to support privatization. City bus services are low profit social services as already mentioned & cannot be compared with other higher profit businesses. In addition, there is also the problem of road safety.

What is this peculiarity about public bus transport services that it makes it so? May be we should ask CiSTUP to do a study?

Inter-city buses have fixed high fares & are profitable, similar to other businesses, particularly in high density sectors such as Mumbai-Bangalore. City services are far less profitable with low fares & some city services will even lose money, but would still have to be run. This is why it is challenging to come up with a privatization plan to get the best for commuters.

This might seem peculiar & confusing for those very few that continue to remain clogged with thoughts that privatization is the only cure for any & all problems, but to the majority, it is by & large, much better understood.

I think BMTC will operate the way it is "handled" in the tug of war that is always on between various forces that include demands from various highly diverse groups of users, ministers, political considerations, etc etc.

That's indeed the problem. They should be providing only the basic services, targeted at the 'aam aadmi', if at all.

Despite these obstacles, I think it is doing a fair job.

Well, the general sentiment expressed here doesn't quite seem to reflect that

For comparison, travel by buses in Mumbai is pathetic as buses are so heavily overcrowded, not to mention the unpredictability on most routes due to various ongoing construction works. The only places where dependability is better is at train stations since these are focal points.

BEST's is acknowledged to be amongst the better bus service providers in the country.

Compared with this, I think it is much simpler & better to use buses in bangalore along the G10 routes or from the three focal points.

The Big-10 services are perhaps the only meaningful change that has happened in BMTC.

This may change with the Metro as buses would be made available from every station with common ticketing.

Common ticketing was attempted and then given up in Delhi. I don't know how far it's going to succeed here.

Travel by Public transport will always include some degree of "sufferance" since it can never get everyone to their doorsteps nor arrive at times that each commuter wishes. Hence, the criticism & complaints would always be heard by those that have "higher" inconveniences, in comparison since it can never be made pefect for everyone.

The dissatisfaction index with BMTC, as per the 'Bus Karo' report, on account of two key factors, are listed as - Punctuality / Reliability 46%; Accessibility (walking Distance) 28%. When that's the assessment of the current users, you can very well understand why the percentage of the trips made using BMTC is on a negative growth curve, or at best stagnant. That doesn't augur well for the city as a whole.

I think the complaint about last mile connectivity is also much exaggerated. Buses cannot always operate where development has taken place, like on extremely narrow roads.

The claim was that nobody will have to walk more than 500M to take a bus. Nobody is asking for more than that. And, of course, you can't be made to wait there indefinitely too.

It's easy to blame BMTC for not providing "last mile" instead of questioning oneself as to why he chooses to put up business or offices on such narrow corridors after bribing officials!

Houses in narrow corridors are OK, I presume. Anyway, that's all that the poorer sections can afford.

City bus services are low profit social services as already mentioned & cannot be compared with other higher profit businesses. In addition, there is also the problem of road safety.

Can you not say the same applies to water, power, schooling, healthcare, etc, too? Then, would you recommend their re-nationalisation of these services too?

Inter-city buses have fixed high fares & are profitable, similar to other businesses, particularly in high density sectors such as Mumbai-Bangalore. City services are far less profitable with low fares & some city services will even lose money, but would still have to be run. This is why it is challenging to come up with a privatization plan to get the best for commuters.

The private sector has met the challenge fairly effectively everywhere else. Why deny them even a chance here, atleast in areas where the BMTC is not even in the picture (like here)?

This might seem peculiar & confusing for those very few that continue to remain clogged with thoughts that privatization is the only cure for any & all problems, but to the majority, it is by & large, much better understood.

I don't know if this actually represents the majority view. But, if it's true, and BMTC improving itself on just a "Hindu" rate, I guess the future for the ciy is fairly bleak.

I was seriously considering getting into the business, in a tie-up with a business house, if the government gave me a licence. Even as a social entrepreneurship, I see enough prospect in it, particularly with the ever growing demand, given the inevitability of cities having to clamp down on the usage of cars and two-wheelers. Alternatively, I have now to think of investing money with my Honda dealer friend, and reverse my strategy. Of course, I can see it working only in the short term, since anyway, within another five years, I'll have to pack up from Bangalore.

Incidentally, on the question of 'Volvos losing money', the following is what the 'Bus Karo' study has to say at page 26 - "Regular buses are earning enough to cover costs whereas the AC buses are earning substantially less than operating costs". And, license-permit raaj, uneven playing field, and Socialistic mind-sets are all very much facts of life, which anyone who wishes to can readily observe.

 

Details here

what an explanation from the BMTC official .........I wonder if at all they do any analysis for each of the accident and learn any lessons not to repeat the same again.

BMTC director (security and vigilance) J Arun Chakravarthy said, “The number of cases does not mean our drivers are always at fault. If you consider the increase in the size of our fleet, the percentage of traffic violation cases has come down over the years.”

Regards,

Imran.

Excerpts from the same Bangalore Mirror report, cited by Imran, above:       

The drivers, however, have a different take on the issue. One of them, Kumar, said, “We are always under pressure. If we do not complete a certain number of trips, we face questioning by depot officials. Traffic in the city is a nightmare. In order to complete our workload, we are at times compelled to jump signals.”

So, what has all the training been about?