<p>Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will restore dedicated BMTC bus bays at Terminal 1 (T1) in the next 15 to 20 days, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has confirmed.</p>.<p>In January, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) faced criticism after bus bays at T1 were reduced from 14 to six, with one lane reassigned to a private taxi operator.</p>.<p>This reduction squeezed operations for the BMTC’s Vayu Vajra fleet, forcing them to depart quickly to avoid congestion, leaving many passengers stranded or waiting longer for the next service.</p>.<p>"We are getting back the number of bus bays we had before. The civil work is currently underway, and in another 15 to 20 days, the bays are likely to be back," said the minister, who had sharply criticised BIAL for the reduction in bus bays.</p>.<p>The state government holds a 13% stake in the airport.</p>.<p>The reduction in bus bays also impacted the daily ridership of the Vayu Vajra service. The daily ridership, which fell by over 1,000 people, is expected to be restored once the bays are rebuilt, a senior BMTC official said.</p>.Bengaluru airport to adopt real-time analytics for better passenger flow.<p>"At the airport, unless passengers see the bus, they are not going to approach the service,” the official said. “If you tell them they have to wait 20 minutes for the next bus, they will not want to take the bus. If we have more bays, our wait time per bus increases, and as a result, we will be able to bring in more passengers and operate at full capacity. Right now, not all of our buses are operating at full capacity." </p>.<p>Before the bus bays were reduced, the daily Vayu Vajra ridership averaged 12,000 and peaked at 14,000.</p>.<p>While a larger bus terminal exists at T2, about 80 per cent of Vayu Vajra’s traffic comes from domestic passengers at T1. All domestic flights by IndiGo, the largest airline, are operated through T1.</p>.<p>The limited bus bay capacity also forced the BMTC to reconsider plans to expand the popular Vayu Vajra service. "Once the operations stabilise, we will study the demand and look into the expansion," he added.</p>.<p>At present, the fleet of buses remains one of the most affordable forms of public transport to and from the airport.</p>.<p>BIAL did not comment on the matter.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will restore dedicated BMTC bus bays at Terminal 1 (T1) in the next 15 to 20 days, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has confirmed.</p>.<p>In January, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) faced criticism after bus bays at T1 were reduced from 14 to six, with one lane reassigned to a private taxi operator.</p>.<p>This reduction squeezed operations for the BMTC’s Vayu Vajra fleet, forcing them to depart quickly to avoid congestion, leaving many passengers stranded or waiting longer for the next service.</p>.<p>"We are getting back the number of bus bays we had before. The civil work is currently underway, and in another 15 to 20 days, the bays are likely to be back," said the minister, who had sharply criticised BIAL for the reduction in bus bays.</p>.<p>The state government holds a 13% stake in the airport.</p>.<p>The reduction in bus bays also impacted the daily ridership of the Vayu Vajra service. The daily ridership, which fell by over 1,000 people, is expected to be restored once the bays are rebuilt, a senior BMTC official said.</p>.Bengaluru airport to adopt real-time analytics for better passenger flow.<p>"At the airport, unless passengers see the bus, they are not going to approach the service,” the official said. “If you tell them they have to wait 20 minutes for the next bus, they will not want to take the bus. If we have more bays, our wait time per bus increases, and as a result, we will be able to bring in more passengers and operate at full capacity. Right now, not all of our buses are operating at full capacity." </p>.<p>Before the bus bays were reduced, the daily Vayu Vajra ridership averaged 12,000 and peaked at 14,000.</p>.<p>While a larger bus terminal exists at T2, about 80 per cent of Vayu Vajra’s traffic comes from domestic passengers at T1. All domestic flights by IndiGo, the largest airline, are operated through T1.</p>.<p>The limited bus bay capacity also forced the BMTC to reconsider plans to expand the popular Vayu Vajra service. "Once the operations stabilise, we will study the demand and look into the expansion," he added.</p>.<p>At present, the fleet of buses remains one of the most affordable forms of public transport to and from the airport.</p>.<p>BIAL did not comment on the matter.</p>