Peenya holds key to decongesting Majestic

The stumbling block is the operations of private bus operators

Peenya bus stand was inaugurated amidst much fanfare in 2014, but has been languishing since then.

The State government will finally attempt to relocate bus services, both government owned and private, away from Majestic/Kempegowda Bus Station. The overburdened area currently hosts buses from the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private operators, leading to traffic congestion every day.

Reflecting on the failure of KSRTC’s Peenya bus station — despite having amenities like lounges and drinking water for passengers — Transport Minister H.M. Revanna on Thursday said that being located away from the main road is only one of the reasons for lack of unpopularity among commuters. The main deterrent remains the inability of the corporation to shift a majority of its operations to Peenya fearing losing business to private operators who would continue to operate from within the city.

“We have discussed this matter with all stakeholders. One way to improve connectivity would be to link the bus station to the nearby Peenya Industry metro station. We must also ensure that private buses are shifted out of the city centre,” said Mr. Revanna.

Peenya Industry is around one kilometre away from the bus station.

As part of its plan to decongest the area around Kempegowda Bus Station, KSRTC shifted some of its services to Satellite bus stand on Mysuru Road and the Shantinagar bus stand, but has been unable to popularise its Peenya bus stand, which was inaugurated amidst much fanfare in 2014. According to KSRTC officials, there were several attempts to revive the bus station. These included making it the starting point for all buses heading towards north Karnataka.

Some movement on stalled electric bus project

Several years after the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) suggested induction of electric buses into its fleet, there might be some good news on the horizon. According to officials, talks to lease 150 buses are at an advanced stage and are likely to be completed in the next few months.

“While the Union government did not respond to a request for financial assistance to purchase these buses, which cost around ₹2 crore each, the State received a favourable response to its proposal to lease these buses,” BMTC Chairman Nagaraj Yadav said.

However, before a decision is taken, there will be yet another trial. But this time, on a much larger scale.

“It will not be just one or two buses. We need to find companies who can partner with us on these trials to measure the precise effect of electric buses on Bengaluru roads,” Mr. Yadav said.