It’s the holiday season and travel is on the minds of most Bangaloreans.
With Christmas and New Year falling on weekends this year, there are many people planning to go out of the City and many from outside wanting to visit it. But are the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and BMTC ready to meet the increasing demands of people? Metrolife finds out.
The KSRTC will ply 150 buses on inter-state routes and around 200 buses within the State for the public. The BMTC, however, is confident that it will meet the demands of the public.
Mallikarjunaiah, an official in the BMTC, says as of now, there has been no official notification for more number of buses. “We are very happy that we are able to meet the demands and constantly keep track whether the public is getting enough number of buses. Though it’s the festive season, the BMTC is ready for the occasion,” he adds.
On every festive or holiday season, the KSRTC announces extra number of buses, yet the common man faces problems in getting a reservation. Vijay, a businessman, has faced this problem many a time.
Unable to cope up with it, he now prefers to travel either in flights or by his own vehicle. “I have seen the chaos at bus stands, especially during festivals. Even if I book tickets in advance, eventually some sort of confusion arises. That’s why I prefer to take my own vehicle when I have to travel out of station,” he adds.
The chaos and the never-ending waiting list at the bus stands have become a common sight during festivals. Ask the officials at the KSRTC about the same and they agree that there has been an increase in demand this year. But they also defend themselves by putting the blame on the railways.
“We always plan everything in advance and keep increasing the number of buses
during this time of the year. But most passengers come at the last minute after failing to get train tickets. So how do they expect to get tickets here at the last moment?” asks Latha Jaiswant, an official at the KSRTC.
Chandrashekarappa B R, the principal of Surana PU College, agrees with Latha.
“If there were more trains, this problem of lack of public transport can be curbed to a large extent,” he says while adding, “festivals also mean increasing number of people coming to the City. So I feel there will be a demand for our public transport as well. But it isn’t enough to just provide more buses. It’s also important to maintain the quality. Often they don’t stick to the scheduled times causing distress to the common man.”
It’s all about planning, says Ashok, another official at the KSRTC. “We start issuing tickets 30 days in advance around any festival or long holiday.
This time, out of 150, already 100 inter-state buses are booked but if people start planning and booking tickets earlier, we can get more buses on the roads. It’s not like we don’t have extra buses, we do have them but we always get unexpected
demand only a few days before the festival which makes it difficult for all,” he says.
With the coming year filled with many long weekends, people must ensure that they plan ahead to avoid confusion later.