BMTC for All: Towards Transforming Mobility

in Bangalore
Providing sustainable and equitable mobility is one of the biggest challenges facing Bangalore today.

In the last two decades, Bangalore has widened many roads and built new roads, over 50 flyovers, 3
elevated roads and the Metro. Costing thousands of crores, these were built with the promise of
reducing congestion; but all additional road space has become clogged in no time and the flyovers and
elevated corridors have merely redistributed the congestion. Metro Phase 1, of 42.3kms costing
14,405 crores 1 , has a ridership of a mere 5 Lakh in a city of 120 Lakh people. BMTC, which has
maximum ridership in the city (~45 lakh daily passenger trips2), has seen very little public investment
and its ridership falling due to high fares and less expensive or more convenient competing modes.
Congestion has continued to grow due to uncontrolled growth of private vehicles and inadequate
focus on public transport, cycling and walking.

The mobility scenario in the city is also highly iniquitous. With no public funding to BMTC, bus fares in
the city are among the highest in the country. The high fares are pushing the urban poor out of the
public transport system or are forcing them to compromise on other needs. Simulation studies done
by IISc3 show that ~2 lakh cars, serving just 5% of the daily trips, occupy 8 times the road space used
by ~6500 buses serving 45% trips, 9 times more trips than cars. This is highly inequitable and
disproportionate use of road space by a small section of commuters.

Thousands of trees all over the city have been chopped to add more mobility infrastructure in the city.
The loss of green cover and the growing emissions from private vehicles is also leading to rising
temperatures and pollution in the city; the impact of this is borne disproportionately by the
pedestrians and other road users such as street vendors. Road safety is also a serious concern with
high vehicular traffic; additionally, lack of footpaths and safe crossing makes pedestrians particularly
vulnerable (40% traffic deaths in 2018)4. Overall, the brunt of the economic, social and health impacts
of this scenario are borne by the urban poor and the large majority who use the most sustainable
modes such as walk, cycle and the bus, even as resources such as road space, public funding on
mobility etc. are disproportionately consumed by a minority using unsustainable modes.

With over 80 Lakh vehicles5 and 120 Lakh people, the tree-cover drastically down by 66% and water
bodies down by 74% in 40 years6 and soaring temperature and pollution levels, Bengaluru is poised at
a dangerous brink. However, there are solutions that can significantly improve the mobility situation
for all in the city and mitigate some of the crisis the city faces today.

1
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/cost-and-time-overrun-marks-bengaluru-metro-phase-
i/articleshow/57550535.cms

2 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bumpy-road-ahead-for-bmtc-as-metro-and-cabs-hit-
ridership/articleshow/69642349.cms

3 Presented by Prof. Ashish Verma of IISc, at a public meeting organized by Save Bengaluru Committee, a citizen’s forum

4https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/40-killed-on-bengaluru-roads-last-year-were-
pedestrians/articleshow/67413138.cms
5
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bengalurus-vehicle-population-crosses-80-lakh/article26705015.ece
6 http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/water/paper/ETR75/CES_TVR_ETR75_TREES_24may2014.pdf

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Approach to Sustainable and Equitable Mobility
Bangalore’s approach to mobility has been to build its way out of traffic congestion. However, from
experience world over and Bangalore’s own experience in the last two decades, it’s clear that
expanding road capacity does not serve mobility needs or reduce congestion. It is a well-established
fact that solutions to mobility must focus on reducing vehicles and increasing use of public transport.

Mobility is the social process of movement of people within and to and from the city to meet various
living needs such as livelihood, education, health and leisure. It should not be seen only as an
engineering problem of building infrastructure and managing the flow of vehicles. As mobility is
essential for achieving the basic needs of every person, it should be seen through the rights framework
and provisioned such that it is universally accessible, affordable and equitable 7 . Planning and
investment in mobility should be centred around social and environmental goals such as maximizing
trips by public transport, availability of bus stops/transit points within walking distance of every
residence or establishment, reducing travel time, ensuring safe transit, lowering emissions and
pollution and so on. These goals should be achieved with minimal social and environmental costs -
financial resources, loss of tree cover, loss of houses or livelihoods, pollution, impact on public health
and so on. This should be the framework for any mobility plans and investment.

This would require both holistic urban planning integrating mobility needs as well as integrated
mobility planning across multiple modes and functions with a focus on moving people, instead of
vehicles. To meet the city’s mobility needs with least congestion and pollution, mode share of private
vehicles needs to be drastically reduced and that of public transport significantly increased. To achieve
this, it’s imperative that Bangalore takes the following measures urgently:

A) Improve public transport by making it more accessible, affordable and reliable: This requires
effective policy and institutional environment (adequate public funding and incentives for public
transport, city planning with public transport at the core, multimodal integration etc.) and extensive
operational reforms to improve BMTC’s quality of service.

B) Disincentivise the use of private vehicles through a mix of policy measures: Policy measures to
restrict inflow of new vehicles, restrict parking/making it prohibitively expensive, taxes and congestion
pricing for private vehicles etc. need to be introduced and strictly implemented.

BMTC for All – An Agenda to Transform Mobility in Bangalore

Bangalore has multiple modes of public transport. BMTC, with its 6600 buses, caters to 45% of the
daily trips in the city. Metro Phase 1, with 42 kms network, serves 5% daily trips. Bangalore does not
have a dedicated commuter rail system, but ~2 lakh daily commuter trips are made using existing
Indian railway lines, in the west, north and eastern parts of the city.

As we can see, BMTC is the largest public transport provider in the city today, serving a majority of the
daily commuter trips. Going forward too, BMTC will have to be at the centre of urban mobility, to
ensure mobility for all.

Metro networks are highly expensive. Bangalore metro Phase 1 cost over 300 crores per km. The
construction goes on for years, drastically reshaping neighbourhoods. It is neither feasible nor
desirable for metro networks to cover the entire city. Metro fares are also costlier than bus fares.
Thus, metro will serve only a small section of the city and a limited share of trips. The CLIMATRANS

7Read more about some commonly used service parameters here (Table 1, Page 3)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305992592_Public_Transport_Performance_Evaluation_Techniques_-A_Review

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study by IISc8, using ridership projections from Metro Detailed Project Report and GoI/GoK population
projections, estimates a daily ridership of 28L passenger trips for metro by 2030, i.e. 11.5% of modal
share. A comparison with Delhi Metro ridership (23.16 lakh with a 343 km network) suggests that
these ridership numbers may not necessarily be achieved. Commuter rail will also have limited
network coverage by design. A commuter rail project, if implemented, is projected to carry over 9 lakh
people daily along by 20259.

Buses have the widest reach through extensive road networks. It’s also far easier, faster and cost
effective to introduce new bus routes than to build new metro or commuter rail lines. Buses can also
flexibly respond to changing mobility needs, compared to fixed networks like metro and commuter
rail. Therefore, it’s prudent to give the bus a central place in provisioning mobility in the city.

The following reforms, if implemented in a coordinated and integrated manner, can substantially
improve BMTC’s ability to meet the mobility needs of the city, in the most efficient and cost-effective
manner.

Affordable Fares
Mobility in a city is essential to realizing basic rights such as employment, education and health. It’s
imperative that it is affordable to all sections of society, especially the urban poor. Affordability is also
important from a traffic congestion perspective. Higher bus fares incentivise people to use cheaper
modes like two-wheelers and shared services, leading to greater congestion.

Bangalore has the highest bus fares in the country. With a 5 km ride costing Rs. 10, a 10 km ride costing
Rs. 19 and monthly pass costing Rs. 1050, bus commute is highly expensive for a city where the
average monthly income level of people is Rs. 7400 10 . Various estimates suggest that 25-35% of
Bangalore’s population lives in its slums11 with monthly median income around 3,000 INR12. With such
high bus fares, many among the urban poor end up walking several kms or rely on unauthorized and
unsafe private vans and buses plying in the city for their daily commute OR compromise on other basic
needs to spend on commute. High cost of public transport forces the urban poor to make fewer
essential trips. This limits their reach and increases the time and monetary costs of commute, thereby
lowering their capacity to spend for or access better education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities
and housing. This severely compromises their ability to come out of poverty and improve their quality
of life in the present or future, contributing to a vicious cycle of poverty for the urban poor13.

BMTC is today more expensive than commuting by two wheelers and some shared modes of
commute. The unauthorized private cab and bus services also charge less than the BMTC. This makes
all those modes more attractive and preferable for commuters. This not only reduces BMTC’s ridership
and revenue, but the additional vehicles on the road add to congestion. Reducing bus fares is essential
to shift these users to the bus to reduce traffic congestion.

8 http://civil.iisc.ernet.in/~ashishv/bengaluru/CLIMATRANS_Report_BENGALURU_P_April_2018.pdf

9 https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/ridership-proposed-bengaluru-s-suburban-rail-exceed-metro-2025-report-94352

10 http://www.urbantransport.kar.gov.in/Bangalore%20Mobility%20Indicators_(22-12-2011).pdf
11 https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017200
12 Roy, D. et al. Survey-based socio-economic data from slums in Bangalore, India. Sci. Data 5:170200 doi: 10.1038/sdata.2017.200 (2018).

13 https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/BRT_Casestudies_India_fullreport.pdf

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Many cities and towns world over are, in fact, offering free public transport14 15. France16, Germany17,
Poland, the pioneering Estonia18 and China19 are just a few examples. Mumbai city reduced the bus
fares in July 2019 and the daily ridership has increased from 17 lakhs to 25 lakhs20 within a week. Delhi
is making public transport free for women21. It’s imperative that Bengaluru reviews its bus fares to
make the bus a more inclusive and better alternative to competing modes.

Adequate Fleet
BMTC has a fleet of 651022 buses on the road. These include ordinary buses and air-conditioned (AC)
buses. BMTC runs 6175 schedules and 69,695trips every day23, serving ~45 lakh daily passenger trips.

1. During peak hours, buses along most routes are severely overcrowded, providing poor quality
of service (comfort, safety) for commuters and stressful working conditions for the conductors
and drivers. Unauthorized private vans and buses also run full capacity on many routes during
peak hours, indicating additional demand that exists.
2. Many areas in the outskirts (e.g.: Kasavanahalli) and city interiors (e.g.: D J Halli) are still not
well connected or adequately served by BMTC. Many of these neighbourhoods also have
narrow roads making it inaccessible for buses of regular width.
3. Further, to address congestion, two-wheeler and car users need to shift to public transport in
large numbers. With metro and commuter rail being partial solutions, BMTC must absorb a
substantive part of this necessary shift. Additional fleet is required to address this shift too.

BMTC’s current fleet is insufficient for comfortable and safe commute for current users or meet the
unserved need for public transport in a highly congested city of 120 lakh population. A desirable
benchmark for bus fleet is 1.2 per 1000 people24. By this measure, Bangalore needs 14400 buses.

BMTC’s fleet composition also needs attention.

1. BMTC introduced AC buses to attract car users employed in the IT sector. But, it’s not clear if
it has led to any significant reduction in car use. AC buses run crowded during peak hours; at
the same time, introduction of high frequency general services on Hosur road saw AC ridership
on the route falling, indicating that perhaps commuters are primarily looking for frequent and
less-crowded buses. During non-peak hours, almost empty AC buses plying one after the other
is a common sight on all AC routes. Some of the AC routes also have poor frequency of non-
AC services inconveniencing those who cannot afford high AC fares. All this suggests a need
to review the policy on AC buses.

14 https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/01/largest-free-transit-experiment-world/8231/

15
https://freepublictransport.info/
16 https://www.france24.com/en/20171109-france-french-cities-public-transport-free-dunkirk-compiegne

17 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/14/german-cities-to-trial-free-public-transport-to-cut-pollution
18 https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/11/tallinn-experiment-estonia-public-transport-free-cities.

19 https://freepublictransport.info/city/chengdu/
20
https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/fares-halved-best-sees-50-rise-in-commuters/articleshow/70236981.cms
21
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1986205/3-new-delhi-offer-free-public-transport-850000-women/
22
http://mybmtc.karnataka.gov.in/info-1/BMTC-Glance/en
23 http://mybmtc.karnataka.gov.in/info-1/BMTC-Glance/en
24 https://ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/documents/toolkits/UrbanBusToolkit/assets/1/1c/1c7.html

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 2. BMTC used to have minibuses in its fleet. Minibuses are narrower and therefore can navigate
narrow inner roads. But they have lower capacity than regular buses (though similar
operational costs), leading to lower revenue per trip. Minibuses were discontinued due to
such considerations. However, minibuses are necessary to provide connectivity to
neighbourhoods with narrow roads. BMTC must review this decision and reintroduce
minibuses for areas with narrow roads.
3. BMTC is being pushed from various quarters to buy electric buses, CNG buses etc. While such
buses will reduce emissions and pollution, their high cost and the lack of financial support for
BMTC makes it difficult for BMTC to procure them. The technologies are also evolving, making
it important to assess the cost-benefit more rigorously. Any move to shift BMTC to
CNG/electric buses should be widely reviewed and when taken up, financially supported by
the State and Central governments. Further, it’s important to note that BMTC’s ~6000 buses
form a miniscule proportion of the lakhs of diesel vehicles in the city. To meaningfully reduce
emissions and pollution in the city, the focus should be on drastically reducing vehicles on the
road and encouraging all vehicles (not just buses) to transition to cleaner and renewable fuels.

A detailed need analysis and a transit network redesign to improve connectivity can provide more
accurate estimate of fleet sizes and categories needed for the city. While these needs could be met in
a phased manner, there is an urgent need to augment the fleet.

Faster Commute
BMTC’s 6600 buses carrying 45% trips have to compete for space and priority in mixed traffic with
lakhs of private vehicles, especially cars, which serve just 5% of the trips. This considerably slows down
the bus and makes it inefficient. There have also been news reports about BMTC cutting its trips or
being unable to complete scheduled trips due to traffic congestion25.

Dedicated bus lanes and priority for buses at signals can speed up bus movement drastically. This can
make bus a significantly more attractive mode. Combined with measures to disincentivize private
vehicles, this can induce more people to shift to bus. A dedicated lane will also allow BMTC to
significantly increase its capacity by adding more buses to serve existing commuters better. It will also
enable BMTC to accommodate the necessary shift of commuters from private modes.

The median lanes on Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Hebbal to Silk board were, in fact, designed to
operate as dedicated bus lanes/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) when ORR was planned. However, after
completion of ORR, BRT was not implemented on the stretch. Later, BRT on ORR lost political support
in favour of Metro and Metro was approved on this stretch. As the tender awarded to ILFS for this line
now stands cancelled and, even if revived, the Metro will take a number of years for completion, it is
an opportunity to revive BRT on this stretch to bring immediate improvements. BMTC has also been
pushing for dedicated bus lanes on ORR and several arterial roads.

Piloting BRT or dedicated bus lanes on a corridor such as ORR can demonstrate the possibility and
produce some immediate effect; however, a city-wide network of dedicated lanes and priority at
intersections for buses are needed for substantial impact. Dedicated bus lanes for Bangalore cannot
be implemented by replicating models from other countries or cities, they will need to be designed to
suit the local context and needs. A detailed study should be carried out immediately to assess the
needs and possibilities for a city-wide network for dedicated bus lanes on arterial, sub-arterial and
ring roads and come up with a detailed proposal and design for Bangalore.

25 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/traffic-snarls-force-bmtc-to-slash-trips/articleshow/69708929.cms

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Improved Connectivity and Access
With over 2000 routes, BMTC’s has an extensive route network covering the city. A large number of
radial routes connect destinations across the city to the city’s central hubs viz. Majestic, Shivaji Nagar
and K R Market. BMTC also operates many cross cutting (transverse and circumferential) routes
connecting different areas without going to the central hubs. While BMTC is one of the better-
connected bus networks in the country, the connectivity and access varies considerably across the
city26. For example:

1. BMTC has fewer transverse routes than radial ones more so as one moves away from the city
centre. Thus, people have to often travel to the city centre to get a connecting service to
another location, making the commute longer and increasing unnecessary congestion in the
city centre. Even where connecting buses are available at earlier points, this involves walking
considerable distance and unsafe crossing.
2. The density of routes within and across different parts of the city vary considerably. The
density is highest in the western parts of the city and lowest in the south-eastern parts.
3. BMTC has many overlapping long routes with only the last stretch of those routes being
different, often resulting in low frequency service on those stretches. Many inner and
peripheral areas are also poorly connected to the main road forcing people to travel 2-3 kms
using other means to reach the nearest bus stop with good connectivity.
4. Land use and mobility patterns (origins and destinations) in the city have changed
substantively in the last few decades. While BMTC has introduced new services (e.g.: 500
series on ORR, to ITPL etc.), these do not adequately cater to new and emerging needs.
5. Many areas of the city have narrow roads, making them inaccessible for BMTC’s regular size
buses. This also poses a challenge for universal connectivity and access.

First and last mile access is also one of the challenges that commuters face when using BMTC. The
general norm for urban bus services is that every household has a bus stop within 500m27. However,
this is not the case in many parts of the city. Further, even when there is a bus stop, it’s not well
connected at adequate frequencies to the destinations or nearest hubs. In areas like LB Shastri Nagar,
the roads are narrow and the regular width buses cannot go on these roads making the nearest bus
stop beyond walking distance. In other areas like Jail road/Kasavanahalli, while the roads are wide
enough for buses to pass, the frequency of services are low.

In some areas, like Whitefield and more recently Bellandur/HSR and Electronic city, BMTC has
experimented with high frequency short loop services. While the effectiveness of these services has
been varied, short loop local areas services are a category of services worth considering in many parts
of the city to make the BMTC network accessible and usable for many more people. Such services can
serve the twin purpose of a) connecting the neighbourhood to the nearest bus stop/transit hub with
high frequency service and b) meeting commute needs within the neighbourhood. The need for
minibuses/smaller vehicles, discussed in the section on fleet, in areas with narrow roads is also worth
emphasising here.

Connectivity and access are critical factors that make a transit mode attractive and dependable for
commuters. The bus network should be able to connect every neighbourhood in the city with least
number of interchanges. Further, the availability and frequency of services in every neighbourhood
should be adequate and reliable enough to ensure low wait times and a consistent and predictable

26
https://sajjad.in/tag/bmtc/
27 https://ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/documents/toolkits/UrbanBusToolkit/assets/1/1c/1c3.html

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travel for commuters. There is an urgent need to revamp BMTC’s route network to address these gaps
and improve connectivity and access. Transportation experts have variously suggested hub-and-spoke
or trunk-and-feeder models for BMTC’s route network. A thorough demand mapping and route
revision with improved connectivity and coverage is urgently needed for BMTC to be able to increase
its availability, access and consequently, the modal share.

Improved Information Access

One of the greatest impediments to accessing BMTC is the lack of reliable information about the
services. There is no easy and convenient way for commuters to know which route goes to their
destination, whether there is a direct bus or not, what is the best interchange point or what time is
the next bus to their destination. Lack of information is an obstacle, not only for potential and new
users of BMTC, but also existing commuters, when traveling to a location or at a time different from
their regular routine.

Most bus stops have no information about the route network of BMTC or the timing or frequency of
the bus. Even in bus stops where some information is provided, it is inadequate or of minimal use and
side-lined by huge advertisements occupying centre stage in the bus shelter. BMTC website and app
have a trip planner option, but BMTC’s timetables are outdated and the real-time information on apps
is not always timely or accurate. The user interface of the app particularly is not easy to use nor is the
information presented in a manner that is easy to understand or use. The route information displayed
on the bus too suffers from similar and other vagaries. Often, conductors and drivers are also not
trained to be helpful to commuters seeking information at the bus stop.

Reliable and timely information must be available at bus stops and through apps and websites to make
BMTC commuter friendly and more accessible and usable. In the current day and age, especially
considering that BMTC needs to attract the car and two-wheeler users to bus, its crucial to have well-
functioning apps and websites. Information about the overall route network, routes and destinations
reachable from the bus stop and the wait time for the next bus for each route should be prominently
displayed at all bus stops and TTMCs and also available on BMTC’s app and website. Extreme care
should also be taken to make the information available and accessible to the diverse commuter base
of the city, including immigrants from other parts of the country and the world, including a sizeable
constituency who are illiterate. Some of the challenges in information access also lies in the complexity
of the route network itself; simplifying the network and routes may also serve to reduce the
complexity involved in making information available and accessible.

Financial & Operational model

The above reforms, if implemented in tandem, in an integrated manner, can make BMTC affordable,
accessible and attractive for all sections of society and to decongest the city. However, these are not
the only reforms or improvements needed in BMTC. A detailed enumeration of the concerns and
demands is available in the commuters’ manifesto prepared by Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike28.

BMTC is severely constrained financially and does not have adequate resources to undertake these
reforms. As an entity performing a public service, BMTC should not be constrained by lack of resources
for essential reforms. It should be the responsibility of the city, state and central governments, as
appropriate, to provide the necessary funds to improve the service. According to some estimates,

28 https://blorebusvedike.wordpress.com/2017/10/14/manifesto-for-an-affordable-safe-accessible-and-comfortable-bus-system/

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Bangalore loses a whopping Rs 38,000 29 crore every year as the social cost of traffic congestion.
Further, the larger social and economic benefits to the city and its residents, in terms of improved
access to city for all, reduced congestion and pollution, and improved health and quality of life for
citizens, make significant public investments in the bus worthwhile.

BMTC has been pursuing a revenue-driven operating model. This is not an appropriate financial model
for a public service with the social goal of equitable, sustainable and efficient mobility. The rationale
of profitability is not relevant to services which enable citizens to realize their “right to city”. While it
may be acceptable for BMTC to charge commuters an affordable fare for its service, BMTC should not
have to run its operations primarily from its ticket revenue. A constant refrain among the bureaucracy
and political leadership has been that there are no financial resources to support BMTC. However, this
is not a real constraint. Various State and Central funds and schemes available for transport,
sustainable mobility or climate change as well as sources such as parking fees, congestion pricing,
vehicle taxes etc. can be used to fund BMTC. Further, various taxes currently paid by BMTC can also
be waived off to reduce the financial burden on BMTC.

BMTC’s operational parameters and processes also need to be urgently revisited. It currently focuses
on revenue based operating parameters such as earnings per km for routes, collection targets for
conductors and drivers, etc. Instead, the primary focus of BMTC should be on service parameters such
as increased ridership and modal share for bus, improved affordability and connectivity, lower travel
time and so on. While BMTC should strive for efficiency within the broader framework of the social
goals of mobility, profitability of service should not be the primary lens for evaluating the performance
and effectiveness of BMTC.

Paradigm shift in Mobility

“If you build it, they will come”. This is known as the iron law of transportation. If a city builds highways
and wide roads and elevated corridors, cars fill in. But if an efficient public transport option like bus
rapid transit or metro is built, riders will show up. If there are safe cycling paths, more people will take
to cycling. If there are treelined, vibrant and safe streets, people will walk more. This has been seen
to be true in city after city, world over.

Despite this well entrenched understanding in transportation, Bangalore’s urban planning is still
centred around enabling private transport through continuous infrastructure building. As we have
seen, this has come at a huge cost to the city and its people. There is an urgent need for a paradigm
shift in the way Bangalore approaches urban development and mobility.

An active shift towards public transport will need the willingness to redesign city infrastructure around
the bus and other public transport modes. For example, limiting urban sprawl and encouraging mixed
use neighbourhoods are important planning and infrastructure measures that can reduce the need to
travel long distances in the city. It will also mean mobility management and economic and other
policies that that actively discourage private transport.

Evidence suggests that reducing or capping parking pays off, and cities that have implemented these
measures, see a decline in driving and increase in public transport use30. Cities across the world are
restricting car use by banning cars in city centres, making specific areas or streets car free, through

29
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2018/apr/19/traffic-congestion-costs-bengaluru-rs-38000-crore-annually-
1803533.html

30 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856408000657

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license plate number restrictions (odd-even, rotating system etc.), parking restrictions or congestion
charges31. Many Asian cities have also been restricting vehicle ownership through proof-of-parking
certificates as in Tokyo, Japan or vehicle quota systems as in Singapore and China.

In most Indian cities, including Bangalore, on-street parking is charged little or no fee and streets are
indiscriminately used for parking cars. In India, the road tax on cars is a one-time tax whereas buses
have to pay annual tax. Bangalore is yet to consider any restrictions or disincentives for car use or
ownership despite its vehicle population crossing 80 lakhs and 1750 new vehicles getting registered
every day32.

The Way Forward for Bangalore

The path to achieving sustainable and equitable mobility for all is well known, all Bangalore needs is
the political will and immediate concerted action on the following two fronts:

BMTC for All Reduce private

vehicles
Reduce Fares
- Make bus affordable, inclusive for all
- Make bus economically attractive by making it cheaper than 2-wheelers and shared modes of
commute Introduce Parking
Increase Number of Buses Policy
- 6000-8000 more buses, as per global norms
- Introduce minibuses for narrow roads and short-loop services

Reduce travel time

- Make buses faster with dedicated bus lanes, priority for bus on the roads Introduce Annual
- Make changing buses fast & smooth with colocated/closely located transit points with easy and taxes, Congestion
safe access pricing etc. for
Improve Connectivity private vehicles
- Systematically map the mobility patterns and demand, Revamp route network accordingly
- Bus stops within 500 m in all neighborhoods, Reliable short loop services in local
areas/neighborhoods, high frequency services on main roads

Improve Information Access

- Reliable network, route and timing information at all bus stops and bus stands
- Easy to use and friendly mobile app and website for route and timing information

The above set of measures, if implemented thoroughly and well, will ensure a substantial shift of
commuters from private modes to public transport, and significantly bring down congestion and
pollution and make Bangalore a more liveable and healthier city.

31 https://www.businessinsider.in/13-cities-that-are-starting-to-ban-cars/Berlin-is-building-bike-super-highways-
/slideshow/59932743.cms
32 https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bengalurus-vehicle-population-crosses-80-lakh/article26705015.ece

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