In a first, BMTC, BBMP babus meet to address connectivity concerns

The wards have been facing poor connectivity and poor frequency of BMTC buses since the Covid-19 outbreak

The BBMP and the BMTC on Saturday joined hands, for the first time, to improve bus connectivity across Bengaluru and address mobility challenges in the city.

A combined meeting of BBMP’s wards 16 and 17 was held in Abbigere,in the city, on Saturday. It was well-attended by BBMP ward committee members and BMTC’s senior officials.

The said wards, which include Shettihalli and Kammagondahalli localities, have been facing poor connectivity and poor frequency of BMTC buses since the Covid-19 outbreak.

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“Connectivity is a crucial issue in Bengaluru, but in our locality, the drastic decrease in bus services, by over 50 per cent, has brought immense hardships for the commuters. Before the pandemic, we had eight metro feeder buses to the nearest metro station, Nagasandra, as well as the 250 bus route, the 248 bus route, etc. Schoolchildren and office-goers, especially, face challenges during peak hours. Sometimes six to seven persons are squeezed into an autorickshaw, which is dangerous,” said Venkatramana Holla, a ward committee member, who was a part of Bengaluru’s Ward Salaha Samiti.

Another problem is that autorickshaws do not run by meter, and the fare to Nagasandra, for about 2.5 km from Abbigere, range between Rs 100 and 150, he added.

He said the Abbigere ward had made a priority request for metro feeder buses and additional buses during rush hour. “Only a few buses pass through Kammagondahalli, which has around 50,000 people. Since we are in a remote location, the last-mile connectivity is most important. Getting cabs takes too long or is very expensive. Hence, there is a demand for adequate bus service to Kammagondahalli,” added Venkataramana.

A V Surya Sen, director of BMTC, who sat through the interaction and responded to all queries, said, “We will map out the busiest routes and then boost services during the peak hours. To improve BMTC’s service on its low-frequency routes, depot managers will oversee eight to nine wards and work together to improve mobility.”