Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation
Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation
Beṅgaḷūru Mahānagara Sārige Sansthe
Formerly
ParentKarnataka State Road Transport Corporation
Founded
  • August 15, 1997; 26 years ago (1997-08-15)
    as Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation[1][2]
  • November 1, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-11-01)
    as Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation
Commenced operationAugust 15, 1997; 26 years ago (1997-08-15)
HeadquartersBMTC Central Office, Sarige Sadana, Kengal Hanumanthaiah Road, Shantinagara, Bangalore, Bangalore Urban district, Karnataka, India
Locale
Service areaBangalore Metropolitan Region and Chikkaballapur
Service type
  • Bengaluru Sarige
  • Astra
  • Vajra
  • Vayu Vajra
  • Bengaluru Darshini
AllianceKarnataka's Road Transport Undertakings
Routes5563
Hubs
StationsMinor Bus Stations

Travel and Transit Management Centers (TTMCs)

LoungeA/C lounge available in major bus stations and TTMCs
Depots49 Depots
Fleet6798 buses[3]
Daily ridership4,910,000 (27 November 2017)
Fuel type
  • 100% Diesel
  • 100% Electric
OperatorGovernment of Karnataka
Chief executive
  • Ramachandran R, IAS
    Managing Director
Chairperson & Vice-Chairperson
  • N. S. Nandeesha Reddy
    Chairperson
  • K. V. Naveen Kiran
    Vice-Chairperson
Website

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, officially Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), is a state-owned public road transport corporation in the Indian city of Bangalore. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves the Bangalore Metropolitan Region. As of August 2022, it has a fleet of 6798 buses.[3]

A new app named "Namma BMTC" has been launched to assist commuters to track buses live, check schedules, plan their journey and calculate fare between stages.[4] A special feature of this app is the SOS feature that can help women in case of emergencies by alerting any near-by police station.[4]

History

Foundation

Mysore Government Road Transport Department was inaugurated on 12 September 1948 with 120 buses.[1] The transport department of The Mysore state administered it until 1961.

Corporatization

It was subsequently converted into an independent corporation under Section 3 of the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950 on 1 August 1961, In 1961, after successfully converting into an independent corporation all assets and liabilities of MGRTD were transferred to Mysore State Road Transport Corporation.[1]

Merger

On 1 October 1961, Bangalore Transport Service was merged with it.[1]

Renaming

On 1 November 1973, the Mysore state was renamed as Karnataka thus, renaming it Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.

Bifurcation

This left the corporation to serve the Southern part of Karnataka.

Services

Name of the Service Description Manufacturer Gallery
Astra It is a non-AC electric bus service with a turquoise livery for JBM brand buses, violet-white for Ashok Leyland's Switch brand buses and light blue-dark blue for Tata Motor's Starbus EV brand buses.. BMTC Switch EV
Bengaluru Sarige It is a non-AC bus service built on Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher urban chassis with a dark blue-white livery for Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) and light blue-white livery or turquoise-white livery for Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) connecting all parts of the Metropolitan region. BMTC Bengaluru Sarige
Bengaluru Darshini (Bengaluru Rounds) It is an AC bus service built on Volvo 8400LE urban chassis with a special livery of pencil sketch depiction of important sites in Bangalore on a white background. This service was introduced for sightseeing in Bangalore. It covered routes connecting about twenty landmarks of great historical, religious and scientific significance. BMTC's Bengaluru Darshini

BMTC's Bengaluru Darshini

Metro Feeder These are AC and Non-AC services that act as feeders to major metro stations and provide last mile connectivity. They are usually prefixed with 'MF'.[9]
Vajra It is an AC bus service built on Volvo 8400LE urban chassis, Corona and UD SLF with a light blue livery running on important routes serving the tech parks, industrial areas, major bus stations and major residential areas. BMTC VajraBMTC Corona AC (Vajra)BMTC UD SLF (NO MORE IN SERVICE)
Vayu Vajra It is an AC bus service built on Volvo 8400LE urban chassis with a light blue livery connecting 21 routes in the Metropolitan region to Bangalore's Kempegowda International Airport. Free Wi-Fi access is provided to the commuters on these buses.[10] BMTC's Vayu Vajra

Vayu Vajra routes

[11]
Serial Number Route Number Service Start Place in the city Via Journey Time Route Map
1 KIA 4 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • Jayachamarajendra Nagara
  • Halasuru Lake
  • Indiranagara KFC
 1 hour 50 minutes
2 KIA 4A Whitefield ITPL TTMC
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • Jayachamarajendra Nagara
  • Halasuru Lake
  • Indiranagara KFC
 2 hours
3 KIA 5 Banashankari
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • RM Guttahalli
  • Mahatma Gandhi Road
  • Shantinagara TTMC
  • Jayanagara 4th Block
  • Jayaprakash Nagara 6th Phase
 1 hour 50 minutes
4 KIA 5D Brigade Meadows, Kanakapura Road
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • RM Guttahalli
  • Mahatma Gandhi Road
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee TTMC (Shantinagara TTMC)
  • Jayanagara 4th Block
  • JP Nagara 6th Phase
  • Konanakunte Cross
  • Thalaghattapura
 2 hours 20 minutes
5 KIA 6 Kadugodi Bus Station
  • Hebbala
  • Mahatma Gandhi Road
  • Marathahalli
  • Whitefield
  • Hope Farm
 2 hours
6 KIA 6A Kadugodi Bus Station
  • Hebbala
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Krishnarajapura
  • Garudacharapalya
  • Hoodi Circle
  • ITPL
  • Hope Farm
 2 hours
7 KIA 7 HSR KEB Junction
  • Mekhri Circle
  • Guttahalli
  • Indian Express
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee TTMC (Shantinagara TTMC)
  • Checkpost
  • Koramangala Water Tank
  • Jakkasandra
 1 hour 50 minutes
8 KIA 7A HSR BDA Complex
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • RM Guttahalli
  • Shivajinagara Bus Station
  • Mahatma Gandhi Road
  • Jakkasandra
 1 hour 50 minutes
9 KIA 8 Electronic City
  • Hebbala
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Marathahalli Bridge
  • Central Silk Board
 2 hours
10 KIA 8A Kuvempunagara
  • Hebbala
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Marathahalli Bridge
  • Central Silk Board
 2 hours
11 KIA 8C Chandapura
  • Hebbala
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Marathahalli Bridge
  • Central Silk Board
 3 hours
12 KIA 8D Sarjapura Bus Stand
  • Hebbala
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Marathahalli Bridge
  • Ibbaluru
  • Dodda Kannalli
  • Dommasandra
 3 hours
13 KIA 8E Electronic City Wipro Back Gate
  • Bagaluru
  • Byrathi Bande
  • Tin Factory Junction
  • Marathahalli Bridge
  • Central Silk Board
 2 hours 10 minutes
14 KIA 9 Kempegowda Bus Station
  • Hunasamaranahalli
  • Kogilu Cross
  • Yelahanka
  • Hebbala
  • Mekhri Circle
  • Shivananda Circle
 1 hour 20 mins
15 KIA 9H Hebbala
  • Hunusamaranahalli
  • Kogilu Cross
  • Esteem Mall
 1 hour
16 KIA 10 Mysuru Road Bus Station
  • Hebbala
  • Yeshavanthapura
  • West of Chord Road
  • Vijayanagara
 1 hour 45 minutes
17 KIA 14 Royal Meenakshi Mall
  • Hebbala
  • Mekheri Circle
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee TTMC (Shantinagara TTMC)
  • Bilekahalli
 1 hour 50 minutes
18 KIA 15 Whitefield ITPL TTMC Back Gate
  • Beguru
  • Singahalli Cross
  • Yelahanka
  • Budigere
  • Kadugodi
  • Hope Farm
  • ITPL
 1 hour 45 minutes
19 KIA 15A Whitefield ITPL TTMC Back Gate
  • Beguru
  • Singahalli Cross
  • Yelahanka
  • Budigere
  • Kadugodi
  • Varthuru Kodi
  • Kundalahalli
  • Graphite India
 2 hours
20 KIA 17 BEML Layout 5th Stage
  • Hebbala
  • Goraguntepalya
  • Summanahalli
  • Nayandanahalli
  • Rajarajeshwarinagara
 2 hours
21 KIA 18 Madhavara NICE Road (BIEC)
  • Kogilu Cross
  • Yelahanka Upanagara
  • Atturu Layout
  • M.S Palya
  • Gangamma Circle
  • Jalahalli Cross
  • Nagasandra Metro Station
 2 hours

Former services

Note: The Parisara Vahini/Parisara Snehi, Suvarna Sarige, Samartha Sarige/BIG Trunk, Nera Sarige/BIG 10, Samvrutha Sarige/BIG Circle, Metro Feeder, Nimbus and Samparka still retain the same numbering and function despite the change in branding.

List of depots

Sl. No. Depot Number Depot Name Division District Ref
1 2 Shanthinagara South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
2 3 Shanthinagara South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
3 4 Jayanagara South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
4 6 Indiranagara East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
5 7 Subashnagara Central Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
6 8 Yeshwanthapura North Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
7 9 Peenya North-West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
8 10 Hennuru North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
9 11 Yelahanka North Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
10 12 Kengeri West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
11 13 Katriguppe Central Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
12 14 Rabindranath Tagore Nagara North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
13 15 Koramangala East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
14 16 Deepanjali Nagara West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
15 17 Chandra Layout West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
16 18 ITPL Central Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
17 19 Electronic City East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
18 20 Banashankari South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
19 21 Rajarajeshwarinagara West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
20 22 Peenya North-West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
21 23 Kalyannagara North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
22 24 Krishnarajapura North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
23 25 H. S. R. Layout Central Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
24 26 Yeshwanthapura North Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
25 27 Jigani South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
26 28 Hebbala Central Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
27 29 Krishnarajapura North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
28 30 Yelahanka North Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
29 31 Sumanahalli North-West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
30 32 Surya City East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
31 33 Poornapragna Layout West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
32 34 Kothanuru Dinne South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
33 35 Kannahalli North-West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
34 36 Bidadi West Ramanagara [14][15][16][17]
35 37 Kengeri West Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
36 38 Chikkanagamangala East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
37 39 Hosakote North-East Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
38 40 Nelamangala (Makali) North-West Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
39 41 Gunjuru East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
40 42 Kodathi East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
41 43 Shivanapura North-West Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
42 44 Anjanapura South Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
43 45 M. S. Palya North Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
44 46 Sadenahalli North Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
45 47 Manduru North-East Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
46 48 Byrathi North-East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
47 49 Bidadi West Ramanagara [14][15][16][17]
48 50 Devanahalli North Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]
49 51 Sadaramangala East Bangalore Urban [14][15][16][17]
50 52 Uttanahalli North Bangalore Rural [14][15][16][17]

National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)

BMTC unveiled a smart card for its bus services for the first time in June 2016. The company introduced smart cards on trial-basis on BMTC Bus No. 335 operating between Majestic and Kadugodi bus stations in March 2017.[18] Apart from serving as an identification document, the smart cards can be used to purchase bus tickets and also swiped at point-of-sale (POS) enabled merchant establishments. The card costs ₹5 (6.3¢ US) and can be recharged for up to ₹10,000 (US$130). Recharges higher than ₹10,000 require the customer to provide identification. According to Axis Bank, the BMTC's partner in the project, the smart card is India's "first open loop EMV contactless smart card". The cards "open-loop" structure allows other agencies to integrate their smart card schemes by adopting the standards of the BMTC smart card.[19] This scheme was finally dropped and integration with National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is already under process. City's Namma Metro is already using NCMC and Bengaluru Suburban Railway will also be using it in future when the system is completed so therefore, one will be used to travel seamlessly across different transit modes in the city and its suburbs.[20][21]

Bus Day

Introduced on 4 February 2010, Bus Day is an event calling all the citizens of Bangalore to use public transport. The idea behind Bus Day is to observe the changes which can be brought in the city in trying to respect environment, traffic situation, health of individuals perception.[22] The 4th of every month is observed as a "Bus Day".[23]

Bus priority lane

BMTC along with BTP initiated the bus lanes between Central Silk Board Junction and Tin Factory Junction on Outer Ring Road branded as Nimbus. Bus lanes give priority to buses, cutting down on journey times where roads are congested with other traffic especially private cars and increasing the reliability of buses. The introduction of bus lanes can significantly assist in the reduction of air pollution due to individual cars and traffic pile up because of cars.[24] Currently, the bus lane has been removed due to reduction in road width due to the ongoing work on Namma Metro's Blue Line on the median.

Intelligent Transport System

To benefit the commuters and promote the usage of public transportation, the BMTC launched its Intelligent Transport System (ITS) on 25 May 2016.[25] Under this project, BMTC buses were equipped with GPS in a phased manner which would transmit the location of the bus to the ITS control room. On 20 May 2023, A mobile app called Namma BMTC was launched on the android and iOS platform which was made available in two languages, English and Kannada. The app provides information about bus routes and bus stops. Real time location of buses on a particular route can also be tracked, which requires the users to switch on the GPS on their device.[26] In 2017, BMTC would be introduced prepaid smart cards for commuting, which eliminated the need to pay the exact amount of change, this was not introduced widely, instead NCMC cards are proposed to be released as an open loop payment system.[27][28] On 6 April 2022, Bus Passes started to be issued on TUMMOC mobile app, passengers have to scan the QR code in the bus to verify the pass bought on the app.[29] In 2022, BMTC has also started to accept ticket payments using UPI in a ON and OFF manner, finally launching it properly in June 2023. A QR code card is either stuck in the bus or with the bus conductor, passengers can scan and pay for tickets.

Karnataka's Road Transport Undertakings

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "KSRTC Official Website for Online Bus Ticket Booking - KSRTC.in".
  2. ^ BMTC History, 14 May 2019
  3. ^ a b "BMTC at a glance". Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Gour, Deeksha (26 September 2023). "Good News for Bengalureans: New Namma BMTC App To Offer Real-Time Bus Tracking and More". Times Now. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. ^ "KSRTC History". The Times of India. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Ksrtc history". www.ksrtc.in. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. ^ "About Us - Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation". kkrtc.karnataka.gov.in. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. ^ Reporter, B. S. (1 November 2014). "Bangalore is now Bengaluru". Business Standard India. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Non AC/Ordinary Services Fares". mybmtc.karnataka.gov.in. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  10. ^ BMTC to run Mercedes Benz buses on trial basis
  11. ^ "Vayu Vajra Schedules Departure Timings". My BMTC.
  12. ^ "CM flags off Atal Sarige for the poor". Express Buzz. 31 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  13. ^ "'Atal Sarige' launched in Bangalore". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 31 May 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax "BMTC Depot Landline Nos".
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax "BMTC Officers List Landline Nos KN".
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax "BMTC Officers List Landline Nos EN".
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax "Bengaluru BMTC Depots Map with contact numbers | | OpenCity.in". Open City. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Get smart @ Rs 5". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  19. ^ Staff Reporter (5 February 2017). "BMTC smart card by February 15". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Bengaluru rolls out National Common Mobility Card". Moneycontrol. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  21. ^ "BMTC commuters' wait for Mobility cards continues – The Softcopy". 28 March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  22. ^ "February 4th is 'Bus Day' in Bangalore". Bangalore Aviation. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  23. ^ "Bangalore Bus Day- Feb 4th: Citizen Matters". Bangalore.citizenmatters.in. 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  24. ^ Kumar, Pranav (20 October 2019). "Bus Priority Lane Operational in Bangalore". The Hindu.
  25. ^ "BMTC launches Intelligent Transport Solution". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  26. ^ "BMTC app gets soft launch". Bangalore Mirror. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Has common mobility missed the bus?". Bangalore Mirror. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  28. ^ "BMTC to roll out smart cards in January". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Bengaluru: Buy BMTC bus pass on mobile app, show your phone to travel". The Times of India. 6 April 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 21 June 2023.

External links

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