It’s not always convenient to wait for a BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus for several minutes, sometimes even an hour, only to realise that there’s no seat for you to sit or space for you to board.
However, it looks like change is on the cards, as BMTC will soon allow you to book a ticket online and even track the bus through your phone. All these features will become part of the BMTC’s mobile app in the future.
The discussion which led to this move reportedly came up in a recent meeting between the BMTC, IT companies, the Transport Department and the traffic police in Bellandur.
Initially, these facilities will be made available for the air-conditioned buses in BMTC’s fleet, including the Vayu Vajra airport buses.
Chennabasava, Board Secretary of the BMTC told TNM that the idea behind the move was to use the comfort of pre-booking a seat to draw in more riders. “We decided to pursue this to make journeys comfortable for people. Why would anyone go in a bus when they can sit comfortably in a car ? One of the fears of going in a bus is that you will end up standing for a long time. If we can eliminate that issue, people could go back to travelling in buses,” he said.
However, the idea is still in the concept stage. “It is in the concept stage. We want to try in 1 or 2 routes and then extend it to airport and Volvo buses,” Chennabasava said.
Another feature being considered by the authorities is to enhance last mile connectivity. BMTC Managing Director V Ponnuraj told ET, “[…] We are also considering the option of providing first and last-mile services, that is, from the bus stand to the doorstep. We will partner with cab aggregators and autorickshaws.”