BMTC officials get a flood of plaints

A phone-in initiative by DH and Prajavani to connect BMTC passengers with officials of the corporation turned out to be a fruitful session with officials getting to know the ground realities even as some callers made thoughtful suggestions.

Chairman of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation N S Nandiesha Reddy answered calls by more than 50 passengers, who sought to bring to his notice various issues. Most of the callers shared their grievances about sudden termination of bus services, arbitrary route cancellations and also reckless driving.

A woman passenger suggested that the BMTC reserve a seat for pregnant women considering the rush in buses during the peak hours. She noted that pregnant woman, especially those from economically weaker sections, travel to work in BMTC buses every day.

At least two callers enquired about the delay in the introduction of the common mobility card through which passengers can pay for fares at BMTC buses as well as for Namma Metro. Reddy said that the corporation will come up with a "concrete solution" within the end of the financial year.