Passengers thank BMTC, do puja to NICE Rd-ECity bus and gift crew

Bengaluru: A group of loyal BMTC passengers who benefit from bus services on NICE Road, connecting Madavara to Electronics City, showed their appreciation Wednesday by performing a vehicle puja, distributing sweets and presenting gifts to the bus crew.
About 50 passengers pooled in money and celebrated Dasara festivities by conducting puja for a bus operating on route number NICE-8.
Maruthi AH, a commuter said, "Vahana Puja is part of Dasara celebrations and a means to express gratitude towards one's vehicle. We are regular passengers of BMTC bus services on NICE Road. Some 50 of us decided to celebrate Dasara festival by pooling in money and doing Vahana Puja. We volunteered to decorate the vehicle with the bus crew. On Wednesday morning, before starting our journey, we did the puja near Madavara toll of NICE Road." Maruthi commutes daily from his hometown in Tumakuru to Electronics City.
He added, "Every day from Madavara, our bus departs at 8.30am. To take the return journey, we travel in the bus that leaves at 5.30pm. The bus crew have been very courteous and always ensure our safe travel. To express gratitude, we gave a small gift after doing Vahana Puja. We requested BMTC officials to participate, and they too turned up."
BMTC's bus services on NICE Road are very popular among the public, primarily because passengers can avoid traffic congestion when travelling to Electronics City. Despite paying an additional Rs 30 as toll fee on top of the bus fare, many passengers prefer this route to avoid city traffic.
Currently, BMTC operates 21 buses on NICE Road route, making 176 trips per day. Approximately 2,500 passengers use the service, with 600 purchasing monthly passes. "In city limits, a monthly pass costs Rs 1,050 to travel in ordinary buses, while it is Rs 2,250 for buses operating on NICE Road. The monthly pass also includes toll fee that we pay for using NICE Road," a BMTC official said.
Recently, NICE authorities increased the fee, and BMTC followed suit, raising it from Rs 25 to Rs 30.
box
KSRTC staffers to get Rs 250 for puja
KSRTC increased allocation for celebrating Ayudha Pooja at its depots and workshops following criticism from staff members who deemed the previous amount insufficient.
The chief mechanical engineer initially issued a circular allocating Rs 100 per bus for Ayudha Puja celebrations on Oct 11, which drew backlash from employees. They argued that the meagre amount was inadequate for properly decorating buses and performing puja.
After the issue went viral, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy intervened, resulting in the allocation being raised from Rs 100 to Rs 250 per bus.
In a press note, KSRTC said allocation for Ayudha Puja celebrations gradually increased over the years, starting from Rs 10 per bus in 2008, Rs 30 in 2009, Rs 50 in 2016 and Rs 100 in 2017, with no additional revisions made until 2023.