‘NimBus’ (Nimma Bus in Kannada) is the brand name given by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to buses that will be operated on the priority lane on Outer Ring Road from Silk Board to Baiyappanahalli. The Corporation has also come out with a tagline, ‘commute better’, for these buses.
The BMTC is working with various agencies, such as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to provide the bus lanes. Full-fledged operations are expected to begin on November 1.
A BMTC official said, “All the buses on ORR or via will have these stickers for the benefit of passengers. The Corporation has also taken a decision to operate blue colour AC buses and green colour ordinary buses on the route by replacing existing multi-colour buses. There is a plan to put up Nimma Bus stickers on 830 buses, a majority of them are No. 500 series buses. We have taken these measures to bring some uniformity in the services operated on the route.”
To save half-an-hour
As per an estimation by the BMTC, providing a priority lane on the 20-km stretch will save half-an-hour for commuters.
“During peak hours, people spend an average of one-and-a-half hours to cover the stretch. Once the priority lane is provided on either side of the existing ORR, a bus can cover the entire stretch in one hour. The priority lane will also benefit passengers who travel to different destinations via ORR.”
There are several traffic junctions on the route, including at Silk Board, Agara, Doddanekundi, and Tin Factory. Success of the priority lane will also depend on how agencies address the issues in the traffic gridlocks. Every day, up to 3.5 lakh people travel in city buses on the stretch. The BMTC hopes add 1.5 lakh more passengers once the priority lane becomes operational.
No old buses on ORR
The BMTC has decided to operate ordinary buses that are less than two years old to avert breakdowns. An official said, “We are going to operate ordinary buses which are relatively new and have run less than 2 lakh kilometres. The AC buses on the route will be replaced with electric buses in a phased manner.”
During public consultation meetings, citizens’ groups had requested the BMTC to do away with installation of bollards and instead paint the priority lane.
Some groups had expressed apprehension that even if a single bus breaks down on the lane, it would result in a massive traffic jam causing inconvenience to the general public. They demanded passage to the main lanes in case of emergencies or a breakdown.
