Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has often hit the headlines for inducting brand-new buses into its fleet and has won awards for providing public transport services. However, in recent years, growing traffic and other factors have affected its ridership and operational efficiency. From 2014-15 to date, there has been a steady fall in the number of passengers using its services.
On an average, 51.3 lakh people travelled in city buses in 2014-15. Ridership dropped to 45.37 lakh by 2016-17, and to 44.37 lakh by 2017-18. This data was part of the 2017-18 annual report of the BMTC.
While the timeline coincides with the growth of Namma Metro, the corporation’s managing director, N.V. Prasad, said BMRCL’s expansion was not the reason for the decline in BMTC ridership. “The metro network and city bus operations compliment each other. Factors such as increased traffic and poor road conditions are affecting our operations,” he said.
Slower service
The annual report states that where once a city bus covered a distance of 227 km a day in 2008-09, it was down to 203 km in 2017-18. On adding more buses to the existing fleet, Mr. Prasad said “induction of new buses on a large scale could not happen because of the NGT stay”.
The National Green Tribunal had halted the BMTC’s plan to purchase diesel buses. He added that once the stay is vacated, measures would be taken to induct 1,500 buses. Vinay Sreeniva of Bus Prayanikara Vedike said, “We need anywhere between 12,000 and 16,000 buses to cater to the growing demand. Importantly, we need buses of different sizes, including mini-buses that go into areas with narrow roads. The State government should provide more financial aid to the corporation.”