BENGALURU: If you are travelling from Baiyappanahalli Metro station to Kammanahalli, brace yourself for a tough time. Despite the latter being a prime hub for many students in the city, lack of last mile connectivity has been making life difficult for many residents. Some are forced to walk stretches as long as 4km or shell out extra money that auto drivers demand due to lack of direct buses or prepaid autos plying between the two areas.
“There is no bus service from the Metro station to Kammanahalli. The easiest way of travel is to go to Indiranagar from the Baiyappanahalli Metro station and take the bus that goes straight to Kammanahalli,” said a BMTC employee.
However, this has been causing inconvenience to many people, forcing them to rely on autos. Padmavathi KB, a homemaker who frequently takes that route, said auto drivers in the area rarely take money according to the meter reading. “We have to pay Rs 100 to reach Baiyappanahalli Metro station and Rs 60 after that for the Metro ride to Majestic. If we pay Rs 140, we can reach Majestic directly,” she said.
Nishanth Naidu, a film student from St Josephs’s Arts and Sciences, has faced a similar problem. “I live in OMBR layout which is in the middle of Baiyappanahalli and Kammanahalli so I use the Metro a lot. There are buses from Baiyappanahalli to Kasturi Nagar and Ramamurthy Nagar but none to Kammanahalli. All the auto drivers outside Kammanahalli charge a bomb. It should take only Rs 30 to travel till OMBR layout but they demand Rs 100,” said Naidu, who prefers to walk 3-4 km rather than pay extra.
Vishal R, a student who resides in Kammanahalli, said auto drivers often hike fares by Rs 30 when travelling to Baiyappanahalli Metro station. Travelling by bike would also mean shelling out Rs 50 for parking fees while a cab will cost Rs 170, he said. “So despite buses taking me a minimum of an hour to reach, since I would have to change buses in between, it is my most feasible option since it costs only Rs 30,” he explained.
Vishnu Sudhi Menon, an MBA student from Jain University, used to previously live in Kammanahalli and recalled many issues he faced.
“It was very difficult to get buses to Kammanahalli. On the other hand, getting down at Kalyan Nagar to catch a different bus was also a tedious task,” he said.