BENGALURU: Weeks after the Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal-2 was opened for operations, BMTC has commenced operating buses from the new terminal. The airport service -- Vayu Vajra -- operated by BMTC is one of the most sought-after services to commute to the airport and back, and this has been extended until the new terminal as well.
BMTC took to Twitter to make this announcement on Saturday night. A senior operations official said, “We had been running the buses on a trial basis for the last two months up to T2. It was operated based on demand. Now, we have gone full steam and T2 has been fully connected. The bus fare will remain the same for either of the terminals.”
The official added that an average of 6,000-7,000 passengers travel each day from the airport towards the city, while anywhere between 5,000 and 6,000 travel every day in the opposite direction. “We are transporting passengers through two different methods to T2 as of now. Either they are taken up to T2 or if buses are terminating at T2, they will be transported on a bus that goes to T2 from here. No separate fare is being collected for it now,” he said.
Asked if there was a bus bay available at the new terminal, he said some space has been earmarked for buses here. Meanwhile, the extension of service to the new terminal was welcomed by citizens. “Compared to cabs, BMTC’s Vayu Vajra is cheaper. From my house at Sirsi Circle to reach the airport, the fare is over Rs 1,000 and this is subject to rise, depending on the demand.
But with just one-fourth of the cab’s fare, I have been travelling to the airport and heading back home for over three years from the Majestic bus stand. I am happy that the BMTC has started operations from Terminal 2, along with Terminal 1,” said Arjun B, a traveller. However, some suggested that instead of operating separate buses from Terminal 2 to different areas in Bengaluru, the bus corporation can run shuttle services from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1.