COMMENTS

AC busses means more pollution on the streets and more drain on the precious imported diesel..

Instead how about planting more road side trees with larger canopies..which can give the best shade for everyone..peds to busses and keep the temperatures and pollution down..

As found during the survey during mobilicity 2013, people are looking for reliable service than anything else..comfort of AC did not figure much...so why not work at providing that instead?

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The following appeared in the Deccan Chronicle of today (20-5-13)- many of you might have seen it but some may have missed. This is the kind of situation which was foreseen as far back as 2009 when this blog started:

Huge crowds but no buses at city bus stands every evening 



Within the next three or four months, Electronic Ticketing machines will be installed at bus entrances, and there will be cards that passengers can swipe in to pay bus fares

Most of the major bus stands in the city are overcrowded with commuters after 8 p.m. everyday as the frequency of buses at this time is very less. Commuters complain that they have to wait for almost an hour for buses to come. However, there there are no complaints about the bus frequency throughout the day.  Most private company employees put in long hours at work, so if bus services are reduced at peak hours, commuters are left stranded in bus stands after a tiring day at work. “I have to wait for at least 45 minutes almost everyday, before the bus comes. This problem arises only after 8 p.m. It is really very irritating.” says Monalisa Dey, a software professional.  The general shift for the BMTC buses ends at 8.30 p.m, so there are less buses comparatively, a BMTC staff says, adding that the peak hour period is considered to be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Due to this, passengers are left with no option other than taking autorickshaws that charge extremely high prices, or use private buses that operate illegally to earn extra bucks. This has become a regular problem for commuters.

Anjum Parvez, MD,

BMTC said, “The frequency of buses after 8 p.m. is less presently, but very soon 300 new buses will be added to different routes by next month. Hopefully this will help ease down the crowd pressure.“ Moreover, BMTC is also coming up with new ways to solve the change problem while paying ticket fares. Within the next three or four months, Electronic Ticketing machines will be installed at bus entrances, and there will be cards that passengers can swipe in to pay bus fares. This way the problem of conductors not returning change and passengers escaping without buying tickets, can be avoided, he added.

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Buying tickets is not a big problem and will not hasten fast movement of buses because the roads are choked, every traffic signal takes its own time and no amount of GPS or GIS will help the commuters who have resigned themselves to their fate of movement according to its own course.  Whether you are in a Volvo or Marcopolo or in a Porche or Ferari, you will reach your destination according to the dictats of the traffic. That's it.

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath

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The following appeared in the Deccan Chronicle of today (20-5-13)- many of you might have seen it but some may have missed. This is the kind of situation which was foreseen as far back as 2009 when this blog started:

Huge crowds but no buses at city bus stands every evening 



Within the next three or four months, Electronic Ticketing machines will be installed at bus entrances, and there will be cards that passengers can swipe in to pay bus fares

Most of the major bus stands in the city are overcrowded with commuters after 8 p.m. everyday as the frequency of buses at this time is very less. Commuters complain that they have to wait for almost an hour for buses to come. However, there there are no complaints about the bus frequency throughout the day.  Most private company employees put in long hours at work, so if bus services are reduced at peak hours, commuters are left stranded in bus stands after a tiring day at work. “I have to wait for at least 45 minutes almost everyday, before the bus comes. This problem arises only after 8 p.m. It is really very irritating.” says Monalisa Dey, a software professional.  The general shift for the BMTC buses ends at 8.30 p.m, so there are less buses comparatively, a BMTC staff says, adding that the peak hour period is considered to be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Due to this, passengers are left with no option other than taking autorickshaws that charge extremely high prices, or use private buses that operate illegally to earn extra bucks. This has become a regular problem for commuters.

Anjum Parvez, MD,

BMTC said, “The frequency of buses after 8 p.m. is less presently, but very soon 300 new buses will be added to different routes by next month. Hopefully this will help ease down the crowd pressure.“ Moreover, BMTC is also coming up with new ways to solve the change problem while paying ticket fares. Within the next three or four months, Electronic Ticketing machines will be installed at bus entrances, and there will be cards that passengers can swipe in to pay bus fares. This way the problem of conductors not returning change and passengers escaping without buying tickets, can be avoided, he added.

===================

Buying tickets is not a big problem and will not hasten fast movement of buses because the roads are choked, every traffic signal takes its own time and no amount of GPS or GIS will help the commuters who have resigned themselves to their fate of movement according to its own course.  Whether you are in a Volvo or Marcopolo or in a Porche or Ferari, you will reach your destination according to the dictats of the traffic. That's it.

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath

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Vijaya Karnataka dated 26-6-2013 today - Extract -

KSRTC is moving towards heavy losses -  Most Traffic Transit Management Centers (TTMCs) constructed with JnNURM/public money are incurring losses -

More from: http://vijaykarnataka.indiatimes.com/articleshow/20765926.cms

- 15 KSRTC Divisions have 1029 shops - most shop keepers have not paid rents for long periods - complacency of concerned noticed.

- of these, more than 157 are lying vacant - no takers - No response to Tender notifications inviting bids - Cost-more than a lakh of rupees per newspaper ad 

- Overdue rents - total Rs.1,20,03,896 upto March 2013

- hotels in these complexes are charging more than Rs.5 to 8 per item thus fleecing the public

-ಬಾಕಿ ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಮಳಿಗೆದಾರರಿಂದ ಬಾಡಿಗೆ ವಸೂಲಿ ಮಾಡಲು ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಬಾಕಿ ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಹಣಕ್ಕೆ ಬಡ್ಡಿ ವಿಧಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಹಲವು ನಿಲ್ದಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಮಳಿಗೆಗಳು ಖಾಲಿ ಇವೆ. 20-25 ಬಾರಿ ಟೆಂಡರ್ ಕರೆದರೂ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಟೆಂಡರ್ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆಗಾಗಿಯೇ ಲಕ್ಷಾಂತರ ರೂ. ಖರ್ಚಾಗಿದೆ. ನಿಲ್ದಾಣಗಳು ಪಟ್ಟಣ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಿಂದ ಒಳಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಕಾರಣ, ಮಳಿಗೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬಾಡಿಗೆಗೆ ಪಡೆಯಲು ಮಾಲೀಕರು ಹಿಂದೇಟು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
-ಎಂ.ಪಿ.ಪ್ರಭುದಾಸ್, ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸಂಚಾರ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಾಪಕ (ವಾಣಿಜ್ಯ), ಕೆಎಸ್‌ಆರ್‌ಟಿಸಿ

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Huge crowds but no buses at city bus stands every evening

- Deccan Chronicle 19th May 2013

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What about losses being incurred in running the white elephants - the Volvos etc?

If KSRTC had stuck to its Vision and Mission, it could have earned the goodwill of commuters and also made profits as before -

Admn.Report 2011-12 contains info about fleet utilization, revenue, mileage etc.

1. Provide people-centered (quality, efficient, integrated and safe) services
2. Commuter responsive service planning and promotion
3. Optimize resources and build capacity
4. Adopt environment-friendly and sustainable practices
5. Strengthen commuter feedback mechanism
6. Modernize and maintain zero breakdown fleet
7. Evolve effective mechanism to monitor service performance
8. Conduct safety training, performance audits and awareness for stakeholders
9. Increase commercial revenue through monetizing land, buildings & buses
10. Increase efficiency in operations and administration 
11. Ensure inter-agency coordination and multi-modal integration
12. Formulate and enforce police measures for sustainability of the service provision
13. Implement Intelligent Transport System to improve the quality of service
14. Extend travel concession to the weaker sections of the society
15. Act as an agent for cultural synthesis and national integration
16. Promote research on urban transport

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Vasanthkumar Mysoremath

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Hi,

The following is the cut and paste from The New Indian Express, Bengaluru edition dated 2nd April 2013.

Let us watch and wait how it gets implemented.

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath

BMTC plans low-cost AC buses for B'lore

Soon the non-IT sector passengers, students and ‘common man’ will be able to travel in AC buses at low fares. The good response from the people to the AC buses in the city has prompted Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to look at low-cost AC buses for wider coverage.

The BMTC is in talks with manufacturers to make buses at `50-`55 lakh to offer AC services to the non-IT crowds which cannot afford the normal AC bus fares.

The first such bus to hit the market, after Marcopolo (from Tata), is the Jan bus. Manufactured by Ashok Leyland, this bus is in its final trial stages, according to BMTC officials.

“Ashok Leyland is doing a trial of the bus, which they call the Jan bus or ‘people’s bus’. They presently have five buses. Once they go into manufacturing, we will be the first one to get it, after which we will do a trial in the city. We have also asked the manufacturers of Corona and Volvo buses to consider manufacturing low-cost buses as they have a huge market,” said a senior BMTC official.

At present, the only other bus offering AC services at lower cost is Marcopolo. However, with numerous complaints like frequent breakdowns and emission of smoke from these buses, the BMTC is now looking at other options.

BMTC now has 90 Marcopolo buses. At a recent board meeting too, the BMTC had asked Volvo personnel to look at manufacturing AC buses in the Rs 50-lakh range. Both Volvo and Corona buses cost about Rs 80-Rs 90 lakh, while the normal non-AC buses cost about Rs 30 lakh.

“With low-cost AC buses, we will be able to offer the comfort of AC buses at about 30-40 per cent lesser cost,” said the official.

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