Manoeuvring buses on the narrow roads of various cities in the State may no longer be a big problem, with Karnataka starting to get hi-tech midi buses under phase 2 of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Sixty-three of the midi buses — 9.2 metres, not 12 metres, long — that were allotted to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are already in use in cities such as Mangaluru and Udupi. Another 133 allotted to the State transport authority will go to other citie s, including Mysuru.
KSRTC managing director Rajkumar Kataria told The Hindu that the midi buses are equipped with the same hi-tech features as the buses already allotted to cities for intra-city and inter-city operations. “Except for the length, most [of the other] features remain the same. They have surveillance cameras on board,” he said. Also, electronic steering with good turning circle on tapered tracks makes the driving hassle-free.
“My proposal for modifying the specifications of the bus from 12 metres to 9.2 was considered by the Centre, and Ashok Leyland delivered 63 BS-IV buses that are passenger-friendly accordingly,” Mr. Kataria said.
Such buses will also be introduced for trips to villages close to key cities, including Mysuru, Mr. Kataria said. He said each midi bus costs about ₹28.50 lakh, which is ₹8 lakh to ₹9 lakh less than the investment on a regular bus.
Option for hilly areas?
The KSRTC is considering launching midi buses for regular operations in hilly terrains where deploying long-chassis buses is difficult.
“We are thinking about allotting [these] buses to villages in hilly areas in regions like the Western Ghats. With midi buses, we can introduce services to remote areas that have no connectivity,” Mr. Kataria said.
He added that the KSRTC would buy more such buses for launching operations in hilly areas as the midi buses allotted to it for now are for urban operations.
