Karnataka , a state in South India has a well-developed transport system The total length of rail track in Karnataka is 3089 km [2] For a long time after independence Among the network of roads in Karnataka, 3973 km. of roads are National Highways . [9] Karnataka also has state highways of length 9829 km. The public bus transport in Karnataka is managed by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). It was set up in 1961 with the objective of providing adequate, efficient, economic and properly coordinated road transport services. [10] It operates 5100 schedules using 5400 vehicles covering 1.95 million kilometres and an average of 2.2 million passengers daily. About 25000 people are employed in KSRTC. [10] For better management of public transport, KSRTC was bifurcated into three Corporations viz., Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bengaluru on 15th Aug 1997, North-west Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Hubballi on 1st Nov 1997 and North-East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Gulbarga on 1st Oct 2000. The reservation system is networked and computerised and tickets can be availed at designated kiosks in towns and cities. An online reservation system called AWATAR has also been devised by KSRTC using which travellers can reserve tickets online. KSRTC plies various categories of buses viz. Airavat Club-Class (high-end luxury Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz multi-axle AC buses),Airavat (high-end luxury Volvo and Mercedes Benz AC buses),Ambaari(Corona AC and non AC Sleeper buses), Rajahamsa Executive (Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Vaibhav (Semi-Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Saarige (Bus service linking rural areas to major settlements as well as the cheapest alternative for inter-city or town routes. The buses are built on Tata and Leyland chassis). Grameena Sarige is another initiative by KSRTC to provide bus service to the rural populace of the state. Buses run by private persons are allowed to operate in few districts of Karnataka.Inter district transportation are run by private operators, connecting capital Bangaluru and main cities KSRTC was set up in 1961 under the provisions of Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka . In August 1997, KSRTC was divided to form Bangalore
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Karnataka, a state in South India has a well-developed transport system The total length of rail track in Karnataka is 3089 km[2] For a long time after independence Among the network of roads in Karnataka, 3973 km. of roads are National Highways.
[9] Karnataka also has state highways of length 9829 km. The public bus transport in Karnataka is managed by the Karnataka State Road Transport
Corporation (KSRTC). It was set up in 1961 with the objective of providing adequate, efficient, economic and properly coordinated road transport services.[10] It operates 5100 schedules using 5400 vehicles covering 1.95 million kilometres and an average of 2.2 million passengers daily. About 25000 people are employed in KSRTC.[10] For better management of public transport, KSRTC was bifurcated into three Corporations viz., Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bengaluru on 15th Aug 1997, North-west Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Hubballi on 1st Nov 1997 and North-East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Gulbarga on 1st Oct 2000. The reservation system is networked and computerised and tickets can be availed at designated kiosks in towns and cities. An online reservation system called AWATAR has also been devised by KSRTC using which travellers can reserve tickets online. KSRTC plies various categories of buses viz. Airavat Club-Class (high-end luxury Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz multi-axle AC buses),Airavat (high-end luxury Volvo and Mercedes Benz AC buses),Ambaari(Corona AC and non AC Sleeper buses), Rajahamsa Executive (Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Vaibhav (Semi-Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Saarige (Bus service linking rural areas to major settlements as well as the cheapest alternative for inter-city or town routes. The buses are built on Tata and Leyland chassis). Grameena Sarige is another initiative by KSRTC to provide bus service to the rural populace of the state.
Buses run by private persons are allowed to operate in few districts of Karnataka.Inter district transportation are run by private operators, connecting capital Bangaluru and main cities
KSRTC was set up in 1961 under the provisions of Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. In August 1997, KSRTC was divided to form Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). In November 1997, another new road transport corporation called North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) was formed to cater to the transportation needs of North Western parts of Karnataka. Later, the North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) was also formed with its corporate office in Gulbarga.
KSRTC services covers 92% villages in Karnataka.[4] KSRTC operates with a total fleet of 17310 buses (Ksrtc-8280,Nekrtc-4300,Nwkrtc-4720). It transports, on an average, 74.57 lakh passengers per day. It also operates to the neighboring states ofMaharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Kerala. KSRTC was the first state transport corporation to introduce Volvo B7RLE low floor city buses in India in 2005. At present, KSRTC operates Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Scania buses under the Airavat services (named after the mythical white elephant). [3]
Flybus
Fully air conditioned nonstop luxury, Volvo multi axle bus service between Bangalore International
Airport and Mysore with pantry, chemical toilets, live display of flight timings, GPS, wifi facilities and
16.Staff Position 30996 32297 34278 36076 36474 36037
Bangalore (officially known asBengaluru) also
known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ is the 3rd most populous city and 5thmost populous urban
agglomeration of the country and 18th most populous city in the world.
With a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$83 billion, Bangalore is listed fourth among the top 15 cities
contributing to India's overall GDP. With an urban spread of 741 sq.kms. and population of 8.5 million,
Bangalore’s 523 billion (US$8.7 billion) economy makes it one of the major economic centers in India.
I has an economic growth of 10.3%, making Bangalore the second fastest-growing major metropolis in
India, and the country's fourth largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. Forbes magazine
considers the city as one of "The Next Decade's Fastest-Growing Cities".
The city is the third largest hub for high-net-worth individuals and is home to over 10,000 dollar
millionaires and about 60,000 super-rich people who have an investable surplus of 45
million (US$751,500) and 5 million (US$83,500) respectively.
Bangalore is called as the Silicon Valley of India because of the large number of information technology
companies located there, which contribute over 33% of India's IT exports. The city is also a hub for the
biotech-related industry in India, and in 2005 around 47% of the 265 biotech companies in India were
located here; including Biocon, India's largest such company.
Bangalore has 4.9 million registered vehicles as of today (1 vehicle for every 2nd person) of which 70% consists of two wheelers, 4% auto rickshaws and 15% cars. The average speed observed on city streets is 15kph (9.32mph).
History of BMTC
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is the sole public transport provider for Bangalore,
serving urban, sub-urban and rural areas. BMTC was originally BTC (Bangalore Transport Company
Ltd.), founded in 1940, catering for the entire city with a fleet of 98 buses.
The government of Mysore State took over city transport from this private company in 1956 and named it
Bangalore Transport Service (BTS).
In 1997, KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) split and BMTC was incorporated as its
division. BMTC is the first STU of India to operate air-conditioned city buses for urban commuting. Buses
operated by BMTC are an important and reliable means of public transport available in the city.
Variety of Bus Services: BMTC has been offering a variety of buses and services along with air-
conditioned buses, special airport services, free service from the central bus station to the railway station,
concessions in fares, daily and monthly bus passes for regular commuters, etc.
Red buses: introduced in 2011, the buses belong to a new batch of ordinaries that have arrived in the city
with Euro IV emission norms, the majority of them having red and some with a light blue colour.
Suvarna: silver colored with a red lining. Many Suvarna buses are now being re-painted into the white
and blue color or converted into Big Circle/Small Circle buses/Metro Feeder services.
BIG 10: BIG10 services deploy (a Suvarna class of) buses branded in green and bottle green on 12 major
corridors coming in from surrounding sub-urbs in the city.
These buses are run on a direction-based concept where the commuter takes the next (high frequency,
every 15 minutes) bus in his/her direction of travel, and if need be, makes a changeover to another bus to
reach the destination. The service terminates on different points on the radius of the city core, to avoid
congesting the city centre. These buses are numbered with prefix ‘G’. (below left: Suvarna Bus (right) Red
Bus and bottom: Big10 bus)
BIG Circle: These buses are white colored with BIG Circle written on the sides and it also has arrows
painted in green, red, orange and black. These buses ply on ring roads connecting various parts of the
city. Some of these buses are numbered with prefix ‘C’ and with prefix ‘K’ (small circle on Inner Ring
road).
Pushpak: Launched in the late '90s. Single door bus with/without conductors. Driver acts as conductor
when there is no conductor (Janapriya Vahini). These are coffee coloured buses with fares similar to
Suvarna, generally provided on contract to IT companies and schools. (below left: Big Circle, Orange Line
Bus and different types of Pushpak buses)
Vajra: Hi-tech buses with LED destination boards running on routes serving the IT companies' locations
and various residential routes as well. Higher fares - about 1.5 to 3 times that of ordinary ones depending
on the route.
Vayu Vajra: luxurious buses to the airport operated on 12 routes. Free Wi-Fi access is provided to
commuters in these buses.
Atal Sarige: Low-cost buses with single seats along the windows and an LED display. Have a tri-colour
outside. On 1 June 2009, to celebrate their first anniversary, the government of Karnataka and
the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation sold off a pro-poor bus service called the Atal Sarige.
The service aims at providing low-cost connectivity for the economically backward sections of the society
to the nearest major bus station. (Below left: Vajra and right: Vayu Vajra buses. Bottom left: Atal Sarige
and (right) ordinary buses)
Other Air Conditioned and Regular Buses: Operate on routes where luxury buses aren’t popular and
their fare is 1.5 times higher than ordinary buses. Besides, regular buses are a part of BMTC fleet.
Metro Feeder: Introduced in 2011 after the launch of the 1st line of metro train, these buses have exterior
paint similar to the colour of the Metro train and run on 10 routes as feeder to the Metro stations. (Below
left: Metro Feeder and (right) Big Circle bus. Bottom: other modern buses of BMTC)
BMTC is expected to be introducing buses powered by solar energy in near future. BMTC has introduced
fully electric and hybrid electric buses in public transport to reduce ticket prices against increasing diesel
prices and keep environment clean.
Fares of BMTC are considered the highest in the country but, along with that, BMTC offers a variety of
concessions and subsidized daily travel passes. Besides these, BMTC has been exploring initiatives to
maximize use of IT systems in public transport by providing Electronic Ticketing Machines, integration of
common fare payment mechanism by smart card which can be used in BMTC, as well as metro rail
system, LED destination boards, vehicle tracking system and real time passenger information system.
(Below: Articulated bus of BMTC and fare tickets)
Infrastructure Creation: Bangalore has also achieved milestones in Infrastructure upgradation for public
transport in recent years. The below picture is the famous 'Majestic' Bus Terminus of Bangalore. Traffic
Transit Management Centrer (TTMC's) have been created in several areas as an exmaple of innovation
in modern transport terminal which are a mix of transit hub as well as commercial activity.
Other Transport Systems – Metro Rail and Auto Rickshaws
Rapid Rail project named ‘Namma Metro’ is under construction. 7 kms. stretch was opened to public on
20 October 2011, while another 10 kms. stretch was opened on 1 March 2014. Once completed, this will
encompass a 42.3 km elevated and underground rail network comprising 41 stations.
This much-delayed project is the city's primary response to the worsening intra-city transport
infrastructure which has become a major deterrent to continued business growth. Bangalore is a
divisional headquarters in the South Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways.
Bangalore is well connected by rail to most cities. The sprawling Rail Wheel Factory is Asia's second
largest manufacturer of Wheel & Axle for Railways and is headquartered here. (Below (left) Namma Metro
Smart Card and (right) Metro Train. Bottom: India's first zero emission electric bus introduced by BMTC).
Three-wheeled, green and black auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport.
They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxis, commonly called City Taxis, are
usually available only on call. Taxis are metered and are generally more expensive than auto-rickshaws.
Milestone Achievements
14.5 m long multiaxle luxury bus introduced for the 1st time in India for local commute. It can
house 55% more passengers compared to ordinary buses;
Profit making STU for more than a decade;
Youngest fleet compared to other transit agencies and so fuel efficiency achieved is great;
Introduced 1st zero emission electric buses in India;
Has one of the longest circular routes of the country which is 117 kms. for a complete round trip;
Every 4th of the month celebrated as ‘Bus Day’ initiating citizens to use public transport more.
DECADAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
BMTC at a Glance (as on April 2014)
Fleet Held 6747
Fleet Operated 6436
Average Fleet Age (in years) 4.3
Breakdowns (total) 3184
Daily Service kms. (in lakhs) 13.12
No. of Bus trips 82824
Every Day Traffic Revenue (in Crores) 4.70
Passenger Trips Per Day 4.95 million
Manpower 36,076
Depots 39
Bus stations 50 (6 of which are major)
Staff Employed 36076
Bus Staff Ratio 5.5
Fuel Efficiency 3.82 kms per litre of HSD
Accidents 333
Fatal Accidents (average of decade) 81 (16% of total accidents)
Fleet Utilization 91.2%
Revenue Surplus (decadal average) 867 millions
The decadal graph of fleet held vs. actual operated shows that the gap was minimal during 2002 to 2004
(i.e. maximum fleet under operations with 97% fleet utilization achieved in 2003-04). Thereafter it differed
a bit, but not beyond a certain limit (92% fleet utilization is the minimum observed in the decade) as seen
from the graph below. Yet, the decreasing pattern in the graph of fleet utilization performance remains a
fact and a matter of concern for BMTC.
Maintaining the level of fleet age up to a certain limit is an appreciable best practice of BMTC (maximum
average vehicle age in the decade was 5.1 years which no other STU of India is able to achieve).
As well, the decreasing pattern in percentage of over-aged vehicles in the total fleet is also worth noting,
as seen from the graph below. This clearly represents BMTC’s policy of operating over-aged vehicles as
little as possible, thereby increasing overall fuel efficiency and a reduction in carbon and NOx emissions.
BMTC's management definitely deserves applause for achieving remarkable progress in ridership
increase along with fleet operations as can be seen from the graph below.
The increase in fleet as well as staff strength has been following a continuous pattern, as can be seen
from the graph (top left). But the graph of fleet held vs. bus-staff ratio gives us a sense of the degree of
intervention by BMTC in human resource management.
As we can see, the staff-to-bus ratio was reduced from 2002 to 2006, then increased again until 2009 and
again decreased thereafter. It seems BMTC has been trying out with managing human resources to
achieve optimum efficiency. From the above graphs, one more thing becomes clear: that although BMTC
has been experiencing changes in staff-bus ratio, it hasn’t affected bus operations, passenger kms.
performed and ridership trends.
But it has definitely affected the fuel efficiency as can be seen from the graph below.
Although BMTC has been able to achieve and maintain highest fuel efficiency compared to other STUs of
India, yet the decreasing graph is a matter of concern.
The peak 4.8 kms./litre of HSD reached in 2003-04 hasn’t been achieved again; instead, efficiency has
been dropping down, recording a minimum of the decade in recent years.
Control over accident occurrence adds to the credibility of BMTC. The number of fatal accidents hasn’t
crossed certain limits and the decreasing trend of accident occurance since 2009 is noteworthy.
Financial Performance
BMTC is the only public transport agency in India which, inspite being a large establishment, is profit
making. This unique feature of the organization can be credited to its management.
The proximity of the lines and increasing curve of total cost and income as well as the curve of total profit
earned in the decade are seen in the graph below. The graph of profit saw continuous rise from 2002 to
2007 and reached the highest profit of the decade in the year 2006-07.
But thereafter the profit graph started decreasing, back to the minimum level recorded in 2002-03. The
decrease may not be a serious worry, but from a future investment requirements point of view, is a matter
of concern.
Now, if we look at the division of average annual expenses of BMTC under various heads, the costs
towards fuel/lubricants and staff share almost equal, whereas other maintenance costs include tyre/tubes
and spares together account for 5% of total expenses, 5% of the total goes into various taxes.
BMTC can accumulate considerable capital for future use if these 5% taxes are waived off in some
manner by State Government.
With the increase in fleet size and operations, income and expenses have increased too but with some
consistency and control which is a good sign. Henceforth, no doubt BMTC is performing very well from a
finance viewpoint.
Is the Financial Well-Being of BMTC due to High Fares?
Certainly not, as can be seen from the table below. In fact, the increase in fares becomes minimal as trip
length increase and fares become cheaper for long distance travel.
Base Fare’s of Different Public Transit Agencies of India (distance =2 kms) in Rupees
Regular Buses Air Conditioned Buses
Mumbai (BEST) 7 20
Navi Mumbai (NMMT) 7 20
Bangalore (BMTC) 6 15
Delhi (DTC) 2.5 5
Bhubaneshwar (BPTSL) - 10.67
Ahmedabad (AMTS) 3 -
Ahmedabad BRTS 4 4
Surat (BRTS) 4 -
Pune (PMPML) 5 -
Chennai (MTC) 3 (ordinary), 5 (express), 7 (deluxe) 15
So what can be accounted as the reason for good performance?
Definitely it’s the institutional structure and management of the organization.
It’s not that other STUs of India do not have a proper organizational structure. Rather, there is something
to be learnt from BMTC because its performance card speaks for its achievement.
Indian transit agencies have to learn from experiences and best practices and in coming years make
themselves able to promote public transport usage. For public transit operations, achieving financial
sustainability is the only future for survival and BMTC is the best example for Indian transit agencies to
study.
BMTC may not be a fully perfect model to adopt, but it is definitely the one and only ‘light of hope’ at the
moment for the promotion and survival of bus-based public transport in India.
I am honored to write an article on this system as it is the only benchmark of ‘quality’ and ‘service
satisfaction’ in world’s 2nd most populous country.
Also,BMTC plies 287 buses for 42 schools and five colleges in Bangalore. Sophia, Vidyashilp Academy and Kumaran's are some of the top schools using BMTC services.Besides, there is this "class" and style about BMTC which makes it awesome!