Friends of BMTC aims to increase footfalls in buses

Rachana Ramesh | NT

Bengaluru

Despite having an extensive network across the city, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses do not see much footfall

One of the reasons why a number of people are not opting to travel by bus is because they cannot live track the schedule of the buses. To bridge this gap, three citizens of the city have come up with a Telegram group – Friends of BMTC, where they provide live updates of buses moving across the city.

“We are regular commuters of the BMTC. We love the buses as we have grown up seeing and travelling in them, and have always looked into the problems with commuting by bus,” said Yathish Kumar, one of the founders and an IT professional. After noticing a rise in the number of complaints regarding the unvailability of autos and the alternative of buses being unreliable, the trio – Yathish, Amogh and Siddharth, decided to put together a Telegram group where they would make live updates.

 Initially, the group was meant to provide live statuses, but now they also provide information on how to reach from point A to B in the city.

The group was formed barely a week ago and it has already garnered nearly a thousand members. “People are enthusiastic about travelling in the buses.

They are fed up with the traffic situation and the lack of other alternatives. We are trying to promote the already existing routes by providing them with the shortest routes with less travel time,” Yathish said

One of the ways BMTC can increase footfall is by providing local loop buses, suggested Yathish. “Instead of directing the buses that pick up commuters from lonely pockets of the city to KR Market or Majestic every one or two hours, the BMTC must introduce local loop buses which are frequent and connect to the main roads,” he said.

“The live tracking app was a very big hit and if the BMTC brings it back, the footfall will certainly increases as it creates convenience.

When I know my bus is only five minutes away, why would I fetch an auto?,” Yathish said

The BMTC has promised the introduction of a live tracking app in the next two or three months and said the previous app had shut down as the contractor had gone bankrupt.

The work on installation of vehicle tracking devices is also in progress and the calibration is taking place. Srinivas Alavilli, a citizen activist, who helped promote the group has also urged citizens to use public transport.