Summer heat a silver lining for BMTC's Vajra bus services

Bengaluru: An unusually hot summer in Bengaluru has come as a blessing for the BMTC's loss-making premium bus services.

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's air-conditioned Volvo buses ran more services, ferried 10 per cent more passengers, and earned more per day in April than in the same month last year, according to data reviewed by DH. 

The numbers provide a silver lining for the Vajra bus services that had been struggling to attract passengers — mostly techies — after the Covid-19 pandemic. The Vajra buses operate on non-airport routes, in contrast to the Vayu Vajra buses that ply on the airport route. Demand for the Vayu Vajra buses has also remained robust. 

The BMTC operated an average of 457 Volvo (Vajra and Vayu Vajra) bus services per day in April, compared to 428 during the same period last year. The average daily ridership rose to 1.27 lakh from 1.15 lakh, while the average daily revenue increased to Rs 66.05 lakh from Rs 62.54 lakh. The trend has continued into May, with the BMTC running 484, or about 85 per cent, of its 575 Volvo buses. 

A senior official privy to the BMTC's Volvo bus operations said the demand for Vajra services was "very good". "No doubt, it is because of the heat. People have begun to prefer Volvo buses to travel to destinations within the city," the official told DH. 

The Vajra services were struggling last year, despite a 54% reduction in fares. 

Poor demand had forced the BMTC to curtail services, causing a drastic reduction in their contribution to overall revenue. Before Covid-19, Vajra buses contributed Rs 50.37 lakh to the BMTC's daily revenue of nearly Rs 4 crore. This plummeted to Rs 28.57 lakh even though the BMTC's daily revenue rose to Rs 4.6 crore. 

The earnings per kilometre (excluding passes) stood at Rs 50.81, while the cost per kilometre was Rs 90-100. 

Despite the recent success, the BMTC is still some distance away from operating all Volvo buses, according to the official. "We cannot put all buses into service unless the earnings per kilometre go up. Higher ridership doesn't necessarily mean higher earnings," the official added. 

Airport buses

The Vayu Vajra (airport) bus services saw only a marginal increase in ridership in April 2024 compared to April 2023.

On average, 17,921 passengers travelled on these buses daily, compared with 16,260 in April last year. The number of services stood at 141, compared to 125 in April last year. Average daily revenue was Rs 33.62 lakh, compared to Rs 33.31 lakh. 

According to the official, the demand for Volvo buses to the airport has remained "steady", except for occasional fluctuations. The BMTC doesn't run non-AC buses to the airport. 

The BMTC has also phased out Volvo buses that were 15 years or older, in accordance with the government's vehicle scrappage policy. While 123 overage buses were scrapped in 2022-23, the number rose to 136 in 2023-24.