Instead of BMTC, if TVS/ TATAs were providing public bus transport services, would you switch to using them?

Apart from BMTC, if TVS (my first exposure to TVS was as the public bus transport service provider in the city of Madurai - before emergency) or TATAs were operating the bus services, and within some 3 months of their starting the operations, they

1) set up a comprehensive web-site detailing out their operations, based on professional demand assessments,
2) run comfortable and clean buses, with destination boards clearly written in Kannada as well as English,
3) have courteous conductors who don't short-change you, or foul-mouth you if you don't speak Kannada,
4) provide the "Yelli Iddira?" service so that you track a bus and reach the stop in time to catch it, rather than waiting indefinitely not knowing when or if it will come at all,
5) provide skeleton services between 10 PM and 6 AM;

would you then not choose to leave the car at home and take the bus? Answer - Yes/ No

If the answer is a big YES, and if the government facilitates the process by disincentivising use of individualised forms of transport through measures such as

1) levy of congestion charges in crowded city centres,
2) barring of entry in narrow road stretches, during peak hours, etc,

the buses will be able to travel faster, helping them make more trips, and thereby improve their revenue earnings. This will then go on to improve riderships, providing further boost to the revenue earnings, thereby motivating them to improve their services.

If you ask, "why can't this happen with BMTC?", my answer is "it will perhaps happen once there is effective competition; but, not without it". And, when that happens, it will be win-win scenario for all concerned.

For more, click on:
http://praja.in/blog/mura...

Muralidhar Rao

SB - In telecom services, haven't we progressed considerably from the days of the BSNL monopoly? I am surprised you don't recognise that. TRAI has played its part, and if there are still some wranglings going on, more specifically over 3G spectrum allocation, etc, it is largely due to interference by the DMK minister in-charge, on whom the PM is not able to exercise effective control, because of the current political equations. But, the players involved are getting the courts into the picture, and managing to contain the damage the minister is capable of. So, things are quite OK. Could such a scenario have ever evolved without competition?

As for getting BMTC to improve its services, like I have been stating ad nauseum, I'd like somebody to get them to as much as just have the bus destination boards displayed properly - forget route rationalisation, "yelli Iddira?", bilingual destination boards, courteous staff behaviour, safe driving practices, etc, etc. Check -
http://www.praja.in/banga...

Dr ASJ - Perhaps you have not read my original 'policy paper' on this. Please click on: http://praja.in/blog/mura.... Regulation has to be there, and we already have the BMLTA in place, which of course needs to be properly empowered.
Your anxiety based on how the US healthcare system has evolved is perhaps well founded. But, that's where we all have to contribute towards the process of regulation. I would also like to invite you to visit my personal blog on the present status of the healthcare (less) system in Karnataka today:
http://health-careless.bl...

As for the job losses with modernisation, it's the same situation as when computerisation was introduced in banks. What we should aim is achieving higher productivity. With the resulting buoyancy in the economy, you will have ten new jobs in place of the one made redundant. Here, I would like to invite you to visit http://praja.in/blog/mura....

Mithun - TVS/ TATAs are not in direct competition against BMTC today. But, if you are saying that you can differentiate in the way the private sector players, of the stature of TVS and TATAs, respond to customers only after they are pitched in direct competition, perhaps you are the one who is prejudiced.

Muralidhar Rao

SB - Agreed, I am also not for privatisation of BMTC. I am also for competition, even if on a slightly sloping field favouring BMTC, initially. And, that's what I have been saying all along. The notes pertaining to the poll were deliberately worded that way to check out a new angle - that's all.

All the same, I would like to maintain that government should eventually get out of the 'player' role since otherwise it has an adverse impact its more important 'regulator' role.

Like what you stated about BSNL, my wife's preferred service provider is Indian Airlines (mine is Kingfisher because they have prettier stewardesses :))) - whatever, I don't travel much these days). If IA service has reached the present competent levels, it has come about only because of competition. Similarly, BMTC can improve only, repeat only, if there's effective competition.

Muralidhar Rao