The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will come to the 'aid' of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which is struggling to find passengers at Basaveshwara Bus Terminal at Peenya. The BMTC is planning to operate approximately a hundred trips from the bus station, said officials. The final call on these services will be taken in a few days.
The KSRTC had been urging BMTC to start these services in the hope of increasing footfalls at Peenya. The Corporation had spent ₹40 crore to build the terminal.
BMTC MD V. Ponnuraj said, “A decision has been taken to operate buses from the Peenya bus stand. City buses will be operated from Peenya to various destinations. It is difficult to say anything at this juncture as to whether the proposed services will benefit the KSRTC.”
The official said there are 12 platforms for long-distance buses of the KSRTC, and platforms for BMTC buses.
On Thursday, KSRTC shifted some of its services from Majestic to Peenya after a gap of almost three-and-a-half years. The Corporation had first started services in September 2014. Due to poor response from passengers, it incurred a loss of ₹20 crore in less than a year, and eventually withdrew the services.
Passengers yet to warm up to Peenya
Though its early days yet, the initial response to KSRTC services at Peenya has been lukewarm: So far, only one or two passengers (per bus) are using the stand as a starting point. For some of the services, the KSRTC does not see even a single passenger boarding the bus.
A conductor of a Shivamogga bound bus from the station said, “This is the third time our bus is coming here, but not a single passenger has boarded our bus. As it is located far away from the main road, no one wants to come here. Instead, people prefer boarding the bus at Jalahalli Cross.”
Officials cite the difficulty in accessing the bus stop from the main road (Tumakuru Road) and last-mile connectivity as problems. The bus stand is about 800 metres away from the main road. Passengers are often forced to walk the distance, lugging heavy bags.
“As of now, the response is not so great. We are hoping that occupancy will pick up gradually. We heard the BMTC will start bus services from this point to various places like Majestic and K.R. Market,” an official said.
For the benefit of passengers, the Corporation has started two shuttle services from Jalahalli Metro station and Ayyappa Temple at no cost to passengers.
“Out of the proposed 60 services from this bus station, 50 services are operational. The remaining 10 will start in a couple of days,” said a KSRTC official.
