The Basaveshwara Bus Terminal at Peenya, built at a cost of ₹40 crore, completed five years of operations on August 21, but remains a dead investment despite efforts by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to turn it around.
While the KSRTC had envisioned it as a thriving hub, most buses starting from the terminal don’t have passengers. Buses that stop at the terminal enroute also see poor ridership.
In the last five years, the Corporation made several attempts to revive the terminal. Shortly after its inauguration, the Corporation had shifted 140 services from Majestic to the terminal, which included buses going to Davangere, Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, and various destinations in north Karnataka. However, within a few months, the Corporation incurred an operational loss of ₹12 crore, and services were shifted back to Majestic. The same exercise has been repeated several times over the years.
Last year, the Corporation introduced 60 schedules from the Peenya bus stand, but failed to receive patronage from the public. The poor response again forced the Corporation to shift the services back to Majestic.
At present, the Corporation operates 15 services from the terminal. Another 500-odd buses from Majestic stop to pick up passengers.
A conductor of the KSRTC said, “Hardly two people board the buses from the Peenya terminal. Sometimes, we do not get even a single passenger. As per the trip plan, we come here, report to the traffic controller and proceed to our destination.”
People who rely on KSRTC as well as locals feel that the terminal does not serve any purpose. “If 30 people get into buses from this place in a whole day, that's a big number,'' said Madappa, who lives in the area.
One of the main reasons for its failure to attract passengers is its location. The bus stand is 800 metres from the main road, making it difficult for passengers saddled with luggage.
The KSRTC had approached the BMTC to operate more local city buses from the terminal to increase the footfall, but that initiative, too, failed.
An official of the KSRTC said, “When we shifted services from Majestic to Peenya, the private operators who are operating from Majestic benefitted. We have written to the transport commissioner and police commissioner to initiate action against private operators who are illegally operating from Majestic.”
The official further said that to improve accessibility, the Corporation had written to BMRCL to build a skywalk from Jalahalli metro station to the terminal, but that did not happen.
Road transport corporations of neighbouring States are operating long-distance services from the terminal with better ridership. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates 30 services daily while the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has 14 services.
