In a first, BMTC draws depot boundaries for better coordination with local agencies

For the first time, BMTC has introduced depot boundaries that would exist with the BBMP ward limits for easy coordination with local government units and Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs).

This will enable the creation of a new system to effectively plan transportation and solve issues faced by buses such as parking.

Until now, the 50 depots of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in and around the city have been functioning independent of the wards in planning and servicing bus routes. Now, the BMTC has drawn a jurisdictional map for each depot that would include wards or a local government. Besides providing a point of contact for the public, the new system aims to foster cross-learning among agencies.

“Depot managers will participate in committee meetings in their respective wards. They will work with councillors and other officials in the ward to come up with solutions for issues related to the BMTC,” said Surya Sen, director (IT), BMTC.

The BBMP will be urged to include depot managers in ward committees. They will be informed about meeting dates and circulate minutes of meeting to the depot managers concerned for further action.

The ward committee meeting will establish a formal communication channel between the public and the BMTC. Melding councillors, public and depot managers into a single structure will also help nip teething issues like unauthorised parking, which creates bottlenecks and slows bus movement, right in the bud.

Open dialogue with the public will help the BMTC get a sense of passengers’ needs, especially on routes where they run short of buses and have deficiencies in service, Sen said.

“The aim is to shine light on our passengers’ demands. Since transportation is a big part of city governance, the initiative will allow councillors to work with the BMTC on short- and long-term strategies,” the official noted.

Bus adalat

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike has been asking BMTC to hold a bus adalat.

Shaheen Shasa, one of the conveners of the forum, had noted that lack of such interactions means the BMTC will continue to plan its operations without understanding the needs of the commuters.