BENGALURU:Come September 16, 480 Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses will start operations from the new terminal coming up adjacent to the Kempe Gowda Metro Station. All buses heading towards Hassan will begin operations from here, a move likely to benefit more than 20,000 passengers daily.
According to a senior KSRTC official, from 23 bus bays in the new terminal, buses will ply to Madikeri, Kasargod, Bhatkal, Udupi, Manipal, Dharmasthala, Puttur, Sringeri, Horanadu, Hassan, Chikmagaluru, Mangaluru, Murudeshwara, Kundapur and Holenarasipura within a fortnight. All 60 premium buses heading to Mangaluru too will start from here.
The bus station presently has three terminals. The new one will offer much-needed relief from congestion for both passengers as well as KSRTC. Terminal 2 is presently bursting at its seams with 1,046 buses operating from here. In all, 424 buses will be moved to 2A from here. Terminal 1 runs 742 buses and 56 will be shifted to the new premises.
Bus drivers struggling to take a turn due to the limited space and the constant traffic inside the depot will be relieved greatly, officials said.
Terminal 2A has been created by extending Terminal 2. “We had handed over the land to the (BMRCL five years ago in connection with works related to its Kempe Gowda Interchange Metro Station. They have returned nearly one acre to us five months ago and the terminal has been completed on it,” said a top official.
All infrastructure is in place. A decision was taken last week to change the flooring to granite stones like in Metro stations.”We are completing that portion alone,” he added.
One entry gate of the Metro station will now open directly into this terminal making it very convenient for passengers to board these buses.
“An AC waiting hall figures among future plans,” another official said.