It might have taken its oldest customer for granted and lost business, but the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is not letting the setback affect its long-term plan to woo corporate customers. The corporation is aggressively wooing companies to hire its buses to ferry their employees.
IT major Infosys, one of the corporation’s first and oldest customers, has scaled down the number of BMTC buses it contracts from 170 to just 20.
In the old days, when the first deal between the Infosys and BMTC was struck in 1994, the buses provided were of the best quality, and employees were more than happy to forsake their vehicles and use company transport for commuting to work.
“This is not a subsidised scheme for employees. They are paying full charge for it. We have to listen to their views. The fleet is getting old and the buses rattle. Rainwater trickles into and drips inside the bus. We are now signing contracts with private operators,” said Ramadas Kamath U., Head of Infrastructure and Executive Vice President with Infosys.
However, BMTC officials believe that there are other reasons for the drop in patronage. “There were some differences in terms of buses made available to them. It is our understanding that they wanted buses with a 3+2 seating pattern provided earlier instead of the 2+2 pattern we currently use for maximum aisle space. We cannot make 3+2 model buses as we cannot operate them on general routes anymore,” a senior BMTC official said.
Last mile connectivity for metro users
In the meantime, BMTC is also partnering with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation to introduce new feeder services as Namma Metro gears up to operate the Purple line between Byappanahalli and Mysore Road. Both agencies are mapping and planning routes and logistics ahead of the planned April launch for the East West corridor.
BMTC woos other customers
BMTC may be struggling to keep its oldest customer happy, but that is not stopping it from turning its attention to new institutions. Facing stiff competition from private players like ZipGo and Ola Corporate, BMTC is going all out to woo corporate customers and is also looking at schools and colleges to augment its income from casual contracts. There are 10 new customers including four schools and two colleges, besides companies located on the Outer Ring Road, currently using BMTC services. These numbers will increase as officials are continuing talks with more companies. With strict rules on how schoolchildren can be transported in private buses, more schools and colleges are finding it economical and less of a logistical nightmare to just hire BMTC buses instead. However, in the past, a few BMTC buses have also been stopped by the Transport Department for safety related concerns.
