The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on Friday, flagged off the free bus service from the City and Yeshwanthpur railway stations to Majestic and Yeshwanthpur bus terminals respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, Transport Minister R Ashok said: “We had initiated this facility at both the stations earlier this year and now we are officially flagging it off.”


The minister said that it was an initiative to give more comfort to commuters and added that it also aimed at encouraging the public to use public transport.

The mini vans (Swaraj Mazdas) that will be operated from the stations to the bus terminals will have a frequency of ten minutes at the City station and 20 minutes at the Yeshwanthpur station.

The trial run started by the BMTC has got a favourable response from the public, and may soon be a regular feature on city roads

BMTC's trial run, involving two luxury buses on routes 335 (Majestic-Kadugodi) and 356 (Majestic-Electronic City), 10 days ago have got tremendous public response.

The buses, provided by the Mercedes Benz Company are maintained out of the revenue that they generate.

These buses will be later operated on other routes like Bannerghatta Road, ITPB, Vijayanagar, and International Airport Road.

The day it was introduced for the first three days with a Rs 5 fare, the response was unbelievable. "On an average, 1,500-3,000 people travelled in these buses every day,"

Transport Minister R Ashok said, "We plan to operate these buses on different routes in the coming days. A decision on their procurement will be taken later."

http://www.mid-day.com/

NO MANNERS FOR CONDUCTOR

Hello,

I am Dinesh B Sharma, stay in J P Nagar and work with NSN, travel everyday from J P Nagar 6th Phase to Hebbal (Esteem Mall) on BIAS-5 at 8AM. Today, on 07th Sept also boarded in to this bus and while getting down in Hebbal Esteem Mall, the conductor pushed me to get down saying it's getting late. Is this the service we expect from BMTC Volvo Vayu Vajra buses? Ruthless Manners less conductor and shouting at me for asking the reason for the same.

Please take appropriate action on that person.

Regrets for using the service,
Dinesh

Reports have been coming from all over the place that BMTC has bought a new set of Mercedes benz buses for plying in the City. The Mercedes Benz buses according to a news report cost Rs 65 lakhs each ,which is cheaper than the Sleek Vajra Volvo B7R ,which costs around 75 lakhs.

Owning a Commercial vehicle market Share of around 13 % in the World, the renowned Mercedes Benz is entering into India with a great plan of expanding its base. The engine capacity of the 2 axle mercedes Benz is 7.2 litres that is akin to the existing Volvo B7R (which is a 7L ) engine. Although coming at a cheaper rate, the Mercedes Benz bus looks more like the existing Tata’s Marco polo buses which have been quite good on the Bangalore’s roads. There is no doubt that the World class Engineering of Mercedes Benz would prove an excellent fit for a comfortable transport system and there seem to be speculations that the Bus is customised to the Indian driving conditions.

While Volvos have somehow got a stronghold in the existing BMTC fleet ,owing to their amazing comfort and performance in the grippin bangalore traffic, It would still be a hard test for the Mercedes benz buses to win the hearts of Bangaloreans amidst the rising prices of Public transport. Under any situation will people not be comfortable paying a higher than existing price to get a ride in the Mercedes Benz buses. It would therefore be unlikely that BMTC charges a higher price for travelling in Mercedes Benz buses in Future.

For Now, Bangaloreans have the liberty to travel in a Mercedes for as low as 1 ruppes to 5 rupees till the trial run ends.

Source:http://autoraiders.com

Girl: Let’s buy a bike, dear
Boy: Bike? I’m getting you a ride in a Benz.
Girl: A Benz??! Are you sure?
Boy: Totally! And we can go all around the city, sweetie!
Girl: Aw….
Boy: Now, come and hop onto the BMTC Benz bus….
Girl: @$#&*

Yes, that’s right the BMTC is launching it’s first set of Mercedes-Benz buses in the city. After the Volvo buses, the city commuters will get a good ride in the super luxurious Benz buses. They have plush interiors, great seats and comfortable air conditioning. The Bus Day observed by the city government, which encourages people to use public transport, will also be a boost for the Benz service.

The test run in the city was good, with people having to pay just a flat fare of Rs5. After the successful trial run, the government plans to get the buses running in the city on various routes. The fares will be same as that of the Volvo buses.

Happy Riding, Bangaloreans!

Source: http://travel.homestaykarnataka.com