BENGALURU: In a bid to further promote usage of its Basaveshwara bus station in Peenya, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will soon begin providing a pick-up and drop-off point at the station for its premium services operating towards north Karnataka. From May 28, Airavat, multi-axle and other premium services will halt at the station to pick up passengers, officials said.
The station has been unutilised because of its distance from the main road. Passengers, who have to walk almost a kilometre from the main road, have largely ignored the station, and have chosen to board buses from the main road instead. In the past, the KSRTC has tried several measures like shifting a large part of its services to the bus stand only to withdraw it again because of low patronage.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has also been roped in to run services from Peenya and around 90 schedules are currently operational, officials said. “Soon, our premium buses will also halt there and this will further boost usage of the station,” the official said.
For passengers however, the isolated nature of the bus station is the major issue. A proposal by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to build a travelator connecting the bus station to the metro station could change the fortunes of the Basaveshwara stand. However, work on the same, expected to be executed via a public private participation (PPP) model, is yet to begin.