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BMTC Volvo Frequency Reduction - Subcontracting main reason?
Written By Vasanth - 27 April, 2012
Bangalore BMTC Bus Volvo Complaint Vajra Transportation public transport
Offlate BMTC is sub contracting lots of Buses to Private Companies like Manyata Embassy, ORRCA etc resulting in the reduction of frequency for common passengers especially in the peak hours. Also, there are too many buses in some route and very little in few routes.
Here is my personal experience. I work in Doddanekundi area and live in Kattriguppe. I had subscribed to office shuttle, but the timings are way too early starting at 6:50 am. If I miss, I used to take 500K variants (500K,500KB,500KG) etc and changeover to 500D in Marathalli Bridge. After looking at the time flexibility of Volvos, took a Volvo Monthly Pass.
We had a bus every 15 minute starting from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM. Between 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM, there used to be bus every 5 minute and again with 15 minute frequency from 8:45 to 10:30 AM.
Now, from past 1 year, there is no single bus between 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM. I haven't observed buses between 6:30 to 7:45 AM. Between 8:45 and 9:15 ,once in 10 minutes, two to 3 buses come. There are so many passengers, especially IT folks, desperately waiting in Bus Stops for these Vajras. Sometimes, these buses do not turn up at all like Today I ended up waiting 30 minutes between 8:30 to 9:00 am in the same bus stop and had to return back thinking of working from Home.
Same way, there used to be 201R every 10 minutes from morning 6 AM till 10:30 AM and again every 30 minutes there after. But, now, even in peak hours, frequency has been reduced to once in half hour.
But I see so many Volvos plying with board Manyata Embassy, ORRCA etc, not in ring road, but on Bank Colony main road at around 8:00 AM in the morning.
I did a followup with BMTC through e-mail, and asking them is it due to outsourcing Vajras. They say none of these buses are outsourced and the outsourced buses are from seperate pool 
. BMTC did not buy any new buses for these companies. How come a seperate pool emerged for outsourcing?
Apart from this, there are so many hiccups on the travel. Kadarenahalli Underpass is not completed even though it started before Namma Metro . Namma Metro reach 1 is operational, whereas this underpass is still not. Buses go around till Tyagarajnagar adding 3 kms of extra travel. Private vehicles take 1 road deviation. Banashankari TTMC entry and exit is resulting in nearly 10 to 15 minutes time waste for Passengers. Plus the metro work near RV Road end to Banashankari results in deviation again. We will be beating around Banashankari area itself for 30 minutes.
Then comes the Agara Flyover, where all the private vehicles fly over flyover, whereas BMTC has to wait a minimum preference signal under the flyover which has to be waited minimum of 2 times to cross and a less density bus stop which BMTC is reluctant to move before or after flyover.
If we compare a private vehicle travel, I can reach Kattriguppe to Jayadeva Hospital in 20 minutes, whereas the bus takes minimum 45 minutes. If for bad luck we have a Bad Conductor / Driver (Drivers sometimes are too slow chatting with conductors or on cell phones, conductors wait a lot in stops if buses are not full) , it takes 1 hour. Then comes BTM traffic, where 2 wheelers and private vehicles take internal roads whereas buses struck in traffic will take 30 minutes to reach Silkboard. From Silkboard to Doddanekundi, I can reach in 30 minutes even in peak hours. Thanks to the flyovers.
If we take the walking time, waiting time, overall travel is 2 hrs to 2 hrs 30 minutes :)
In a Bike, we can reach 1 hr 15 minutes and in a car 1 hr 30 minutes.
Across the world, traffic planners are talking about BRTS, so is in India in cities like Ahmedabad. Whereas, in Bangalore, unnecessary delays are introduced for Buses is resulting in loss of time without any special infrastructure requirement due to rigidity in routing and lack of proper and consistent frequency.
COMMENTS
Bendy A/C Buses to increase the capacity?
Vasanth - 4 May, 2012 - 09:40
I am wondering why Volvo has not launched Bendy A/C Volvo Buses. Competitor like Mercedes which failed with city buses,could have capitalized on this and could have launched Bency A/C Buses. This will reduce the crowd on the buses. Also staff problem of BMTC could be addressed as well with more passengers to staff ratio.
Praja Friends - Partial BMTC Strike Today
Vasanth - 27 April, 2012 - 06:07
Today, there is a partial BMTC strike and very less number of Buses are plying. Please plan your commute accordingly.
silkboard - 29 April, 2012 - 14:48
Had to go from Whitefield side to JP Nagar, made the mistake of relying on BMTC. Last time had tried this at late night hours (9.50 PM), had no problem going to Marathahalli then walking down (through the horrible footpaths there, that's a separate story) to Outer Ring Road to catch a 500 or D-5. Yesterday, had to wait at ORR bus stand opposite innovative for 35 minutes to see any 500 (coming from Hebbal Side, or ITPL side, Vajra, or regular D-5 etc). A 500c arrived eventually, very crowded of course, had to settle for that.
Last month, got a chance to to wait for 335E on Residency Road bus stand, at peak hours, 5.30 pm types. Both times, wait was more than 20 minutes. I know that they do something to maximize on running all 335Es out from ITPL side at peak hours. But when I did this same route back in late January a few times, didn't have to wait this long.
Labour trouble, capacity reduction (that's what the 500c driver said) - something may be up on Vajra routes.
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