BMTC drops plan to run city buses to Chickballapur, Ramanagaram, Kolar after resistance from KSRTC

BMTC vice-chairman mooted the idea of the corporation extending services beyond its jurisdiction as the city has grown in every direction and people commute from neighbouring districts for work

An “ambitious plan” of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to operate city buses to Chickballapur, Kolar, Ramanagaram and other destinations close to the capital city has made officials of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) see red.

They say BMTC was carved out of KSRTC in 1997 with the sole purpose of providing service for Bengaluru, and the corporation’s plan to expand the jurisdiction is totally unwarranted. The vice-chairman, a political appointee in the BMTC, mooted the idea of the corporation extending its services beyond its jurisdiction as the city has grown in every direction and people commute from neighbouring districts for work.

The BMTC has a mandate to run buses in the city limits as well as within 25 km from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits. Chairman of the BMTC N.S. Nandiesha Reddy told The Hindu that the idea of running city buses to Chickballapur has been dropped in the interest of the both organizations.

A senior official of the KSRTC said, “We have received a letter from the BMTC seeking our response on running city buses beyond its existing jurisdiction. We have strong reservations about this plan as it enters the operational jurisdiction of the KSRTC which has been providing bus services for decades to various destinations from Bengaluru. There is enough scope for the corporation to run buses in its existing limits and make optimal utilization of its resources instead of entering sister organization’s jurisdiction.”

The official said no formal reply has been given to the BMTC, but at the higher level, officials have discussed the ill-effects of the such move.

The BMTC has a fleet size of 6,700 buses and runs 5,700 schedules daily. Due to shortage of drivers, it is not in a position to increase its fleet size. On an average, 27 lakh people rely on city buses.

Chairman of the BMTC N.S. Nandiesha Reddy said, “Our vice-chairman and other people had requested for running buses to Chikkaballapur and other areas. This leads to competition with the KSRTC, and in the interest of the organisations, we have dropped the plan of running buses beyond the limits assigned to the BMTC.”