Transport minister R Ashoka said on Sunday that the mobility cards would be introduced by the end of the year.
Want a bus ticket and tired of shuffling through your purse for small change? Here’s a new card that will spare you the bother — the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is all set to introduce the ‘mobility card’ which will allow commuters to ride BMTC buses, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses and the still-to-be-launched Metro train without buying tickets for each ride.
Transport minister R Ashoka said on Sunday that the mobility cards would be introduced by the end of the year. The cards could be purchased by paying a fixed amount, and the ticket tariff would be automatically deducted by swiping the card in a simple device that will be carried by the bus conductor. That way, the commuter and the conductor would be spared having to find exact change each time a ticket is issued.
Speaking after the Bhoomi Puja for the construction of a modern bus terminal at ISRO Layout, at a cost of Rs10 crore, Ashoka said the bus terminal would be ready for inauguration in time for Ugadi next year. The Banashankari bus terminal, built at a cost of Rs32crore, will be ready for inauguration next month, Ashoka said.
Ashoka claimed that BMTC is the best among city transport corporations in the country. The Volvo Vayu Vajra services with internet connectivity and voice announcement system in city buses, which keeps passengers informed ahead of each bus stop, has received much appreciation from the commuting public, Ashoka said, adding that services would be further upgraded, and the standards achieved in countries like the US would soon by matched by the state. The transport minister said, with pride, that even though diesel prices were hiked frequently, BMTC continued to make profits consistently.
However, the minister admitted that the BMTC had limited success in luring people into using buses instead of riding private vehicles.
BJP MP Ananth Kumar advocated the need for speedy implementation of the multi-mode transport system in the city, offering the integrated services of the BMTC, KSRTC and metro.
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