With the State government further relaxing norms and allowing more commercial activities from Monday, public transport utilities in the city are gearing up for an increase in patronage. Ridership has gradually increased, both on services operated by Namma Metro and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses. BMTC ridership touched nearly 12 lakh on Friday.
“Till Friday, we operated around 4,200 buses a day. We are likely to run more buses from Monday as commercial activities will resume,”said a BMTC official. As per the guidelines issued on Saturday, bus operators are allowed to fill all the available seats in the vehicles.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL), too, is considering extending operational hours. “As per new guidelines, night curfew will come into effect from 9 p.m. and there is no weekend curfew. This will result in increased movement of people. We are likely to extend the service hours and a decision will be taken in this regard by the management,” said chief PRO of BMRCL B.L. Yeshwanth Chavan.
Services are likely to be extended from Monday and trains may be operated even on weekends as there is no curfew.
Allowing operators to fill all seats in buses is likely to help the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private operators. “With 50% occupancy, it was difficult to meet operational expenses. The number of travellers is likely to increase from Monday and we may also see increased ridership on weekends in the coming days,” said a KSRTC official.
