JOIN USPassengers welcome BMTC railway station pick-up
On Monday, the BMTC began bus services starting from the entrance of the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru City railway station.
The idea was welcomed widely by train passengers. Earlier, they were forced to walk through a dingy subway to reach the BMTC bus terminus across the road.
The arrangement was particularly inconvenient for passengers carrying heavy luggage, and forced them to take autos and cabs, both allowed to parked close to the entrance of the railway station.
The BMTC had announced it would run 56 trips between 6 am and 10.30 pm from the third entrance of the railway station, but eyewitnesses say the number of trips is small.
The buses head for destinations across the city, and also reach far-flung areas such as Kadugodi, Hoskote, Attibele, Sarjapur, Yelahanka, and Nagawara.
The objective is to reduce dependence on autos and app-based cabs, and encourage the use of public transport.
When a team from Metrolife visited the railway station on Wednesday at 12 noon, it found no BMTC bus at the entrance.
Naseer, a mobile accessories shop owner says, “The buses come only in the morning around 6.30 am. After that, I do not see many buses.”
Rajan, auto-driver who gets rides from the railway station, has also seen BMTC buses at the entrance in the morning hours. Auto driver Manju says he has seen just two buses, one at 6 am and 8 am.
Krishnakumar, coolie at the railway station, says the trips are few, and mostly between 6 am and 12 noon.
“Previously, I used to see only AC buses, but now I see some non-AC buses as well. The frequency of buses has increased but it is not satisfactory,” he says.
He says lack of dedicated parking space for BMTC buses causes congestion in front of the railway station entrance.
Most passengers Metrolife spoke to were unaware of the new service.
Saurab Das, a passenger, says, “Starting bus trips right here is good as bus trips are cheaper than cab and auto trips.” Swapnali Borkar, passenger who had arrived from Pune, was not aware of the service, but welcomed the idea of buses starting close to the railway station.
BMTC says....
How is the response to the new initiative? Are you running only Volvos or do you also have non-AC buses?
We operate non-AC buses. We have our staff and the staff from the railway stationed at prominent junctions to sensitise people about the new initiative.
How many trips are you running already? Have you put up any signage or schedule?
We have currently scheduled 54 trips in a day. But these could increase or decrease according to the arrival and departure of trains. Signage and the schedule of these buses have been put up on platform No 1 and at Gate No 3.
Are trips confined to the morning hours, and are they too few, as people say?
The service operates from 6 am to 10.30 pm. The rush is more in the morning and evening. This again depends on the arrival of trains. The timetable is directly linked to the train schedule.