The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates more than 2,000 routes with a fleet of 6,500 buses and nearly 1,000 AC buses but the system still suffocates under its own pressure and lack of quality management. Bengaluru also has one of the highest numbers of Volvo bus in India.
In the hustle-bustle of the busy streets of Bengaluru, people opt for BMTC due to its reach and availability. However, with just three major bus depot - Majestic, KR Market and Shivajinagar, BMTC still suffers from poor quality of time management.
Any peak time visit to the Majestic bus depot is enough to witness heavily crowded buses and blocked roads, creating a major traffic jam at the very starting point for many passengers. The parking of buses is usually done in an ad-hoc and odd manner by the drivers.
Major drawbacks
Many of the buses used by the city's public transport department are overaged. The public is forced to use buses that are not roadworthy and there is no proper maintenance.
The braking is another experience as the drivers only tend to apply it when the bus is almost near a speed breaker. Many a time, the passengers have complained about this to the authorities, but all in vain.
If you travel in BMTC, it is obvious that you will witness a near-death experience at some point in time, maybe not fast but the drivers are definitely furious. Like, how many BMTC bus have you seen with a proper looking bumper? Guess not.
Bubble gum stuck under the seats, the gutkha attack from the nearby passenger, road rage and whatnot - BMTC is a very nerve-racking experience.
According to a report by The News Minute nearly 50 people have died in 2018 due to 258 accidents caused by BMTC. "In the last one year, 133 buses were severely damaged rendering 219 people injured. The number of deaths due to accidents caused by BMTC buses has doubled when compared to 2017. Last year, 29 people had died in 132 BMTC bus accidents", reported TNM.
"As per BMTC statistics from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017, 1,828 accidents involving BMTC buses occurred in the city. Of which, 352 were fatal, 68 major and 1,408 minor. A total of 370 were killed and 1,715 persons were injured in the accidents. A compensation of about Rs 52.68 crore has been given by the corporation under the Motor Vehicles Act", the report added.
Misbehaviour and negligence
Even though BMTC covers such long routes, the conductors and drivers' attitude towards the passengers is very pathetic. Recently, a passenger was assaulted by BMTC staffers for demanding back Rs 3 in change.
Bus stops like St Martha's hospital, Corporation and Jayadeva hospital are the main places where most of the drivers just avoid the public. Now, what is the use of public transportation if it is not of any use to the public?
Wrongful charging of bus tickets is another issue as most of the people in the city does not inspect their tickets usually, but if you do, at most instances you can see that you are being overcharged from certain stops.
For instance, if a passenger boards a bus from Malleshwaram to Majestic, he will be charged the rate of Yeshwantpur to Majestic and the ticket will also indicate the same, why? Well, that's BMTC for you.
