BMTC, Metro to go the extra mile on December 31 to cater to revellers who will throng the central business district.
Keeping in mind the New Year’s Eve festivities, BMTC and Metro officials have decided to do their bit for revellers by extending their services till 3.30am and 2am, respectively. This is perhaps the first time that the city’s public transport system has stepped up services for the convenience of the people.
This New Year’s Eve has presented them with an opportunity to show commuters that given a chance, public transport in the city could work. However, the BMTC has decided that not all its services will be operational on New Year’s Eve.
A BMTC official said: “There will be special buses plying from 10.30pm to 3.30am, specifically for New Year’s Eve revellers. Big 10 buses as well as Metro feeder buses will be available up to the ring roads from Kempegowda and Shivajinagar bus stations.”
Those who reside in places away from these routes will have to depend on autorickshaws. “We decided the routes based on the traffic density in these places. Other routes do not have adequate traffic that will make this a sustainable venture,” said the official.
Ashwin Mahesh, member of ABIDe Task Force, said: “They have to anticipate where buses are likely to contribute to their income. The partying takes place in the city centre. Transport is required from these places to arterial areas. The Big 10 services can cater to this demand. I think this will work well,” he said.
Although Muralidhar Rao of Praja RAAG agrees, he said feeders buses must be available for Big 10 services.
“Last-mile connectivity is a problem with our public transport system. It is necessary that the Big 10 services have shuttle or feeder services that will provide last-mile connectivity.
Nevertheless, considering that the BMTC does not have this facility, introducing it just for New Year’s Eve is meaningless. I think the BMTC is doing the best with what it has.”
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