BENGALURU: The hi-end buses of BMTC operated on behalf of a couple of airlines within the airport to ferry air passengers from the boarding gates up to their flights turned out to be mutually beneficial. A fleet of four buses which made its debut inside the airport a month ago is now set to be increased by 11 more.
The Corporation presently operates two air-conditioned buses for IndiGo and an equal number for Air India. “We started the tarmac service for the first time nearly a month ago. All these years, our Vayu Vajra ran only outside the airport. We have now begun services inside the airport which is also a big brand building exercise for us,” said a highly placed official. Instead of the route numbers, the display board on the buses states Air India or IndiGo, he said.
Another official said the services have been well received. “While the regular chartered bus run by the airlines has a limited number of seats, our Volvo buses can seat 36 passengers apart from standees,” he said. “Air India has asked BMTC to run 11 more similar buses,” he said.
While the high speed diesel required for the bus was taken care of by the airliner, the driver was provided by BMTC. “The BMTC is paid a decent fixed monthly rental for the service provided,” he said stressing that the figure needs to be kept confidential.
From the Corporation’s point of view, it is a very good proposition, the official said. “Despite running many trips, the buses cover anywhere between 50 km and 60 km each day within the airport. These buses will remain in great shape too compared to our regular fleet as they mostly have a smooth run without having to encounter bad roads or suffer wear and tear caused due to vehicular traffic daily,” the official said.