Peenya terminal: Poor in location and plan

The Rs 39.25-crore Peenya satellite bus terminal is clean, calm and with friendly officials ready to assist the needy, it looks like a passengers' dream come true. The sprawling two-storey structure is a well-equipped facility. But it has been abandoned by all, except a handful of KSRTC employees, thanks to its location and flawed strategy.

Come August 21, it will be one year since Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the terminal aimed at reducing the burden on the Kempegowda Bus Station (KBS) by making it the departure point for buses plying to North Karnataka. The KSRTC had planned to shift in five phases buses bound to North, North-West and North-East destinations. It also provided 12 feeder buses from KBS to Peenya station. However, the move turned out to be a disaster. Three months into the experiment, the RTC's three divisions had accumulated losses of a whopping Rs 12 crore as there were few takers for buses departing from Peenya station.

Officials at both KBS and Peenya bus station said the major reason for the failure was allowing private buses to operate from the areas surrounding KBS. “They (private players) had a field day in those three months as passengers who were averse to travel another 12 km from KBS to Peenya quickly opted for private buses. They even doubled the rate during weekends and holidays, which people were eager to pay rather than travel an hour to get their bus,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

A senior officer echoed their view: “The authorities should have banned private buses around KBS. Allowing them sabotaged the whole strategy of decongesting KBS.”

The Peenya terminal has its own problems. Located 800 metres off the main road, it fails to attract any passenger so much so that people brave rain and the scorching sun to wait for buses on the highway – without any shelter – instead of going to the satellite station. There is no bus connecting the terminal with the BMTC bus stop or the Namma Metro stop. Both are roughly two kilometres away.

“Only people who live very near come here. Even those living two-three kilometres away take a bus to KBS,” said Shivanna, who lives three km away in Dasarahalli and had come to send his 70-year-old father off to Jamakhandi. His father Bheemappa said, "Auto drivers demand anywhere between Rs 60 to 100 to come here which I can't pay. I take a bus to KBS when my son is busy and cannot drop me here. How can an aged person like me carry luggage and walk more than a kilometre to reach this place?"

Sneha B, who was waiting nearly 30 minutes past the scheduled time for a bus to Ballari, said though she resides in Yeshwantpur that is nearer to KBS, she comes to Peenya because it is less crowded and the traffic controllers are helpful. "This is really a good place, but very difficult to access. I won't risk coming here after dusk because it is too interior and there would be very few people on the road."

Divya T, a junior research fellow at ITC, was anxious because her bus to Davanagere was late by nearly 45 minutes "this time too". "I travel twice a month. My office is hardly a minute's walk from here. This terminal is very convenient. But many buses do not come here though they are listed in the schedule. I feel I should rather wait for a bus on the road, instead of wasting time here," she said.

A traffic controller confirmed that some buses violate the order that says buses bound for North Karnataka, Tumkur, Pavagada, Davanagere, Kunigal, Hassan, Chikkamagalur and Mangaluru have to exit Bengaluru through the Peenya terminal.

"We have notified higher authorities about this violation and given the details of the buses," he added.

When asked, a higher officer at KBS said pressure on conductors to reach a certain daily fare collection target was also the reason for this violation. "The employee is not only competing with his colleagues, but more importantly, he has to beat the private buses. Travelling via Peenya terminal would extend the journey by a minimum of 15 minutes. All this results in low collection which is considered a bigger ‘offence’," he added.