The efforts of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and citizens’ groups to popularise the bus priority lane on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretch from Silk Board to Tin Factory at K.R. Puram is paying dividends.
BMTC Managing Director C. Shikha said that revenue has increased by ₹3 lakh per day. Daily ridership on the special ‘Nim Bus’ has increased by an average of 12,000 passengers over the last month.
“After starting the priority lane service on ORR a month ago, we have studied its impact. Data generated from electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) indicate that more people started shifting to bus services. The earning per kilometre has increased from ₹1 to ₹1.5,” said Ms. Shikha.
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BMTC operates around 837 buses on the route and via ORR to various destinations, and had recently introduced 10 additional buses. Officials hope that the number will increase steadily in the coming weeks as enforcement of rules and awareness increases.
On its part, the BMTC had introduced a series of catchy ads highlighting the benefits of using the bus priority lane.
At present, private vehicles also enter the priority lane.
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Enforcement of rules and penalising violators will further improve the efficiency of our services, said a BMTC official.
Passengers have been demanding better enforcement of rules. A motorist entering the priority lane can be penalised ₹500 for the first offence and ₹1,000 for subsequent offences.
“Travel time on the 17-km stretch has come down to around 16 minutes, and we hope it will come down further,” said a BMTC official.