No visitor to the city can miss the sight of the Red/Orange & now the blue Volvo buses teeming the city roads. No other city has such a large fleet of hi-tech buses plying within the city. The fan following for these buses is also high by users being passionate about the service. When the service was first started in March 2006 it looked like the sparse usage would surely phase it out. But with Shri Upendra Tripathy as the head of BMTC it never looked back. Gradually the service increased in other areas. The city Volvo spurned many to dump their cars and take the bus. The first online Orkut bus community in the whole world was started right here in Bangalore for the bus route 335 E which plies from Majestic (Opp City Railway Stn) to ITPL which is the hub of IT housing more than 100 companies. Today the service is so popular that more than 30 buses ply as 335 E. Besides this there are plenty of Volvos which partially cover the route from various other locations to ITPL..
With the change of guard at BMTC we now see a gradual decline in standards. Though the number of buses have increased the maintenance is woefully inadequate. The TV in Volvos are missing. The GPS system is also gone. The SMS system disappeared about 2 years ago. The microphone announcements for bus stops are now never made. The mini TV console for rear view (by web camera) for the driver is missing or adorning a deity's photo! Drivers & Conductors who used to be cheerful brand ambassadors of Bangalore have become casual.
The missionary zeal of Shri Upendra Tripathy and his commitment to change the ethos of the commuting public is laudable. Hope the new BMTC chief follow his footsteps and ensures better maintenance standards & also see that his downline Managers follow his instructions. The information of the 253 buses plying on 46 routes are available on http://www.bmtcinfo.com/english/volvo.htm
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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