In the past one year of operations of Reach 1 of Namma Metro, other modes of public transport in the city have had to make a few adjustments and changes in order to accommodate the city’s newest means of travelling.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) which was hitherto the only stable means of public transport in the city now has competition. However instead of a head on confrontation, the BMTC chose to work along with the BMRCL for the larger interest of commuters.
When asked about how the launch of the Metro had affected the BMTC, Managing Director of BMTC Anjum Parwez, said that there were no significant effects, the BMTC saw an increase in the number of passengers on its services.
“While we had expected a rise of passenger count by 7-8 per cent, we have seen about 4-5 per cent increase,” Parwez said. He added that the BMTC would remain committed to providing more feeder bus services as and when newer sections of the Metro were made operational. “We are working on the process of ticket/pass integration with BMRCL and will be able to offer it for passengers,” he added.
Autos Unaffected
Auto drivers in the city however are unfazed by the launch of the Metro operations and they say that their operations have not been affected in anyway. Union members say that this might be because the current operational stretch is only 6.7 km but feel that services will be impacted once the entire metro line starts.
“Unions are trying to negotiate tie-ups with the BMRCL. Currently there are very few auto stands near major metro stations,” said Manjunath, President, Aadarsha Auto Union.
He added that with new lines starting next year, auto stands near the new stations would be a win-win situation for all parties involved.