TimesView BMTC is a public utility; the argument whether it should be a monopoly is a complicated one. But what is clear is its purpose — to provide low-priced transportation to everyone in the city, including last-mile connectivity. Yes, there are many areas where it may not make commercial or operational sense to provide bus routes, and that is where coordination with other organisations — be it startups or share autos — comes in. BMTC does not and cannot provide every transportation service needed by the citizen, but it should be able to interface with providers who do and plan expansions to its network based on that.

Crushing competition

BENGALURU: With a daily ridership of over 36 lakh, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is undoubtedly the city’s lifeline. But experts argue the state-run bus utility should harness its monopoly in ferrying passengers between various points: It must grow beyond being an operator and become an aggregator that uses various mobility options.Bus is not the only answer to commuting Bengalureans, experts say, adding new mobility services like shared vehicles, ride-hailing firms, rental scooters, bike taxis, on-demand bus services and carpool apps also provide a range of options.Though there was a proposal for BMTC to launch a cab service focusing on tech corridors, it was put into cold storage. “The idea was to lease cars and operate under the BMTC banner, but the plan didn’t take off. There is a huge demand from companies, especially on Outer Ring Road, to ferry employees,” said a BMTC official.Experts say BMTC should widen its scope of services. Sudeept Maiti, senior manager, integrated transport programme, World Resources Institute, says: “BMTC could also act as a regulator for the other services even though its mandate is to provide quality bus service. Different types of vehicles are required for different types of services. For instance, a smaller vehicle could be suitable for last-mile connectivity. BMTC could tie-up with private firms and distribute some routes for the app-based bus service system.”“Many bus aggregators are operational in other cities. BMTC could identify an origin and destination and conduct a pilot with them, charging a royalty per km. If BMTC wants to run it, it can use their technology,” says transport expert Pawan Mulukutla.BMTC MD C Shikha says the transport utility is working to meet people’s aspirations and growing demand. “Currently, last-mile connectivity is a major issue. We are now coming up with nine-metre non-AC electric Metro feeder buses with flat fares to address these concerns.”Srinivas Alavilli, founder-member, Citizens for Bengaluru, suggests that BMTC be a division of BBMP. Shared autos have huge potential, but it has never been explored in Bengaluru.Startups like Zipgo, Ola Shuttle and Shuttl offered on-demand bus services in the city, but had to shut shop after a crackdown by the transport department. These app-based solutions allowed passengers to select a route and book a ride, real-time tracking, Wi-Fi and cashless payment. In fact, these services were quite popular in the tech corridors as they were cheaper than cab rides.The transport department, however, seized their vehicles as the stage-carriage permit in the city is BMTC’s exclusive right and no other private operator is allowed to pick up or drop passengers. Stage-carriage permits allow operators to pick up and drop passengers midway on a route. Similarly, shared autos, popular in most other cities, aren’t allowed because of BMTC’s monopoly. However, unlike private firms, the transport corporation has a social obligation to operate in loss-making routes.