CM inaugurates Kalasipalyam bus terminal, but it’ll start operations only on March 10

Bengaluru got its newest bus terminal at Kalasipalyam on Friday. While Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the facility, it will start operations only on March 10.

Building the bus station in one of the city’s most crowded areas cost Rs 63.17 crore. First proposed about 20 years ago, the bus station got going only in 2012 when the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) received 4 acres and 13 guntas of land from the BBMP. Groundwork started only in 2016 and lasted over six years.

Some minor works, such as the construction of gates, are still pending and the BMTC recently invited tenders to complete them, its managing director G Sathyavathi said. She added that the terminal would start operations by March 10.

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Government and private buses are currently parked in a haphazard manner at Kalasipalyam, making the entire area chaotic and disorganised. While the bus station will certainly bring some order to Kalasipalyam, many private bus operators will continue to operate outside.

Sathyavathi said that they would hold discussions with the Bengaluru traffic police on making arrangements for orderly parking and halting of buses on roads around the terminal.

Speaking on the occasion, Bommai said that the BMTC had been making losses because of Covid-19 and because it hadn’t increased its fares for a long time now.

According to him, the state government gave the BMTC Rs 2,915 crore in the last two years, helping it induct 3,445 new buses, including 1,300 electric buses.

Talking about the welfare of BMTC and KSRTC staff, he said that the principal secretary of the transport department had been instructed to take steps to implement the recommendations given by retired IAS officer M R Srinivasa Murthy.

Bus schedules

BMTC will operate 3,020 trips per day, KSRTC 262 and private operators 376. BMTC will run buses to Majestic, Koramangala, Kengeri, Electronics City, Anekal, Chandapura, Attibele, Sarjapur, Jigani, ITPL, Hosur, Kanakapura Road, Banashankari, etc. KSRTC will operate buses to Kanakapura, Kollegal, Chamarajanagar, Anekal, Hosur, etc.

Private players will operate buses to intra-state and inter-state destinations.