‘Bus Day just a monthly ritual’

As the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) observes its 26th Bus Day, those who mooted the idea of  the Bus Day are disillusioned as BMTC has hardly learned anything from the ritual. Bus Day has been observed on the 4th of every month to encourage commuters to use public transport.

A blog on Praja.in terms BMTC’s relationship with Bus Day as a ‘live-in relationship’. Bus Day is aimed to help BMTC understand public demand and provide data and feedback that is necessary to make it a long-term relationship, said the blog. By now, the BMTC would have revamped its routes and services and managed its operations better. Instead, it is happy with the current arrangement of monthly rituals where it does not plan to experiment with new ideas or make bolder choices, the blog said.

“Unless the BMTC starts making changes to make the Bus Day more than a once-a-month affair, it is going to remain as it is,” said Muralidhar Rao of Praja.in. He cited examples of friends who have tried BMTC buses on Bus Day, but haven’t made it a habit because BMTC’s services are pathetic in terms of frequency, distribution of buses along busy routes and services during peak hours. Bus Day is an opportunity for BMTC to do two things — encourage new users to look at using buses; learn by experimenting with various new ideas, said Ashwin Mahesh, urban land transport expert and CEO, Mapunity.

Instead of Bus Day being a monthly observance, the BMTC must make sustainable improvements, he said. But BMTC should implement its learnings. “Direction-based service was a success; but three years after it was introduced, the BMTC is yet to make the required additions with time.”