check out the bottle necks on bellary road and at hebbal. i wonder why bmtc did not take the alternative routes like the bagalur road? and god save those traveling to and from ec area.

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Three hours from EC to Airport... Anyone travelling from EC towards chennai can reach half the way if he goes in other direction (Hosur..Krishnagiri (kishangiri.!!)..Chennai.)... Why fly if its going to take more time. Govt should also look more on removing the traffic signals on the Ring road.... more underpasses needed here. Can these buses travelling to north bangalore used by aynone is it only specific to Airport travellers.... !!

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BMTC seems to have made some error in it's calculation of frequencies on each of these services (if I assume that the travel time and number of buses are correct). Frequency on a bus route = cycle time for a bus/number of buses. Cycle time for a bus = trip time * 2 + rest at each stop For the JP Nagar 6th phase bus, this will work out to 2hrs * 2 + 30 mins (assuming 15 mins rest at each terminus) = 4hrs 30 mins or 270 mins If there are 5 buses operating, the frequency to be expected on that route would be 270/5 = 54 min or about 1 hr. How did they come out with the 15 min frequency? Should the maths not add up? Murali sir, can you shed some light on the way they do their trip planning? Regards, Srivathsa P.S. went to Hyderabad last week. the traffic there makes Bangalore seem like a picnic. They have woken up just now as well about the travel to the new airport.

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you are right. too few buses for that frequency.  i think it is a reporting ommission. sorry for not looking it up carefully.
bmtc has not updated their website yet. so official info gotilla.
anyhow, according to this hindu report, they are also also adding 116 suvarna buses apart from the 40 volvo buses. for 2 hr links need 16 buses for 15 minutes frequency. so that should add up 16x7=112.

The Hindu (Take a bus to catch the plane)

on route planning
... BMTC plans to operate 116 Suvarna coaches and 40 Vajra (Volvo) coaches to the new international airport. The buses will be operated round the clock under the “Airport Dedicated Service” brand and will offer seamless, unhindered and uninterrupted travel between important areas of the city and to the international airport’s arrival and departure lounges.

The corporation conducted a feasibility study with traffic engineering consultant M.N. Sreehari on the operation of dedicated bus services to the new airport. After receiving feedback from the public, BMTC has finalised the route network, fleet strength on each route, frequency of service and the fare structure.

The study kept in mind the tentative frequency of arrival and departure schedules of flights at the new airport to make available required number of buses at a given point of time. The corporation will continue to adjust the operating timings till they match with the travel requirements of the airport.

Services originating in the north-eastern region of the city traverse the shortest available routes, while many other services are planned to converge at Hebbal Junction.

on fares
The corporation said the fare structure of Vajra services would be far below autorickshaw and taxi fares. The fare structure for Suvarna services, though not finalised, is likely to be on a par with ordinary BMTC services.

Despite high cost of operations considering high procurement cost of buses and less seating capacity, the corporation said the fares will be kept low to make the concept popular. While the minimum fare is kept at Rs. 80 between Hebbal and the airport, the maximum fare will be Rs. 200 from Electronics City.

on features and future plans
Vajra coaches are specially configured for the comfort and safety of passengers and security of their baggage. The front portion of the coach, separated by a glass partition, accommodates passengers’ baggage while passengers can sit on comfortable seats numbering 31. Public address system, LCD panel showing real-time route information, entertainment videos, internet connectivity, mobile handset charger, newspaper and helper are the other facilities inside the coaches.

As for Suvarna coaches, a few are being built at BMTC’s facility adjacent to its central office in the city. BMTC managing director Upendra Tripathy told The Hindu that till BMTC builds required number of coaches, new Parisara Vahini coaches will be deployed.

The corporation plans to build a state-of-the-art multi-utility traffic transit centre, for the benefit of air travellers at Hebbal. It is also in dialogue with the Bangalore International Airport Authority Ltd. (BIAL) to offer check-in facilities at important pick-up points in the city.

On whether BMTC had got permission from BIAL to operate the service, Mr. Tripathy said BMTC is the sole bus-based public transport provider within 25 km radius of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and the international airport comes within its jurisdiction.

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Assuming that the 15 minutes includes Suvarna buses, then it seems fine, though Dastagir seemed very certain that he was talking only about the Volvos. Assuming that these things run 24 hrs - one bus can make about 4 round trips on an average. For a total of 156 buses, this means about 600 round trips. If each bus carries on an average 20 people - that is 12000 people or about 40% of the total traffic of BIAL. Seems ambitious to me, but if it works it can really reduce the congestion on that road. BTW - what happened to the much touted peak hour point to point service? I hope this Airport service does not go that way! Srivathsa

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good no? an ambitious 40% target? i also like their attitude - 'will revisit the plan based on experience'. way to go. but for me the point of worry is heavy reliance of bellary road. can you imagine the congestion at mekhri circle? forget hebbal. there atleast 3 more existing roads that can be exploited. aside: i think bial is more than an airport. it is an opportunity to create jobs in a whole host of allied industries- mro,aerospace,cargo, airlines etc etc. we have to leverage on the lead on the wodeyars, the walchands and those pesky little machine tooling sultans of peenya. as if one cue, hal has done some fruitful tieups, but bial needs to be play some serious ball. AP govt has lowered sales tax on aviation fuel. down to 4% from the standard 33%. that is staggering and threatens all airports south of the vindhyas. but AP is also the land of free electricity have to see how sustainable it is. i am guessing bial is simply being upfront about the costs and getting a lot of flak for it. i was going through the concession agreement and it states that bial has a right, though min. of civil aviation has to approve it. just hang on till dial, mial and hial show their cards. i want to wait a while even after it opens, for all the masks and postures to wear out, to see how competetive bial really is.

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http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/10china1.htm

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BMTC says all 40 airport buses procured at a cost of Rs 70 lakh each will be delivered by Volvo by March 28. A tender process to offer GPS taxi and auto pick-up services from the residence and hotels of commuters to the nearest airport Volvo point will also be called in the first week of April by BMTC to make the service passenger-friendly more at deccan herald.

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'Vayu Vajra' for BIA DH News Service BMTC has named its Volvo airport shuttle service to Bengaluru International Airport, ‘Vayu Vajra’. With Volvo delivering 40 vehicles to BMTC by end of this month, buses built on B7RLE chassis and the body are designed after the Volvo 8700 European model. They feature low entry, a wheelchair ramp, baggage racks for airport travellers and air conditioning. The 290-hp engine meets Euro III emission standard. “The bus will be officially inaugurated by P K H Tharakan on March 30 along with the ‘Suvarna’ peak hour buses built on Ashok Leyland chassis. These will ply for four hours in the mornings and evenings,” said Upendra Tripathy, managing director of BMTC. KSRTC plans transit unit near Devanahalli airport DH News Service KSRTC has proposed construction of an inter-modal transit centre (IMTC) near the international airport. KSRTC Managing Director A P Joshi said the transport hub near the airport would come up at the ‘Trumpet Interchange Flyover Loop’ on NH 7. “Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation has given a land measuring 0.5 acre for construction of the transit centre” he said. The IMTC, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh, will have multi modal transport facilities under one roof to facilitate passengers travelling to the airport and Devanahalli and will be equipped with a provision for inter and intra city buses, prepaid auto rickshaw, taxi cab facilities, hotel, dormitories and a Yatri Nivas to cater to requirements of travellers. Joshi added that construction of temporary facilities to meet immediate requirements of travelling passengers, bus shelters, cobble stone pavement, toilets, water supply facilities with auto rickshaw and taxi facilities would start immediately.

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Airport services were launched, but this is very interesting for me personally. BMTC tying up with autos!! (See Bangalore Auto Transit Auhtority) In a first of its kind initiative, the BMTC will launch “First Mile Connection” after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with taxi and auto unions to create an integrated phone line where commuters can call in and book their trip to the airport. “On a single ticket, an auto or taxi will pick up commuters from their doorstep and ferry them to the nearest Bus stop where they can board our buses. The taxis and autos will have Global Positioning System (GPS) to facilitate easy coordination,” said Upendra Tripathi, Managing Director, BMTC. http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/31/stories/2008033153900500.htm Airport services launched. The Vayu Vajra Service (Volvo buses) and Suvarna Peak Hour Service buses were flagged off by P.K.H. Tharakan, Adviser to the Governor, and Sudhakar Rao, Chief Secretary. Journalists and staff members were taken on the maiden ride to Devanahalli and on a shorter trip via Basaveshwara Circle back to Vidhana Soudha.

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All that BMTC is interested is in remaining in the news. The "Yelli Iddira?" service they started off with great fanfare has been abandoned, leaving the users stranded, and the Volvo buses near empty. Their so-called call-centres never ever worked. Depending on their 'auto tie-up' services now to catch a flight would be the ideal recipe for disaster. I wouldn't recommend it to any one. You have no option other than to get someone to take you up to a point on the assigned route, wait for the bus to show up, dance around on the road to attract the attention of the driver as it approaches, and if mercifully he stops, board it. But, mind you, if the driver notices even the slightest block on the assigned route, he will take his own diversions and carry on. So, have a friend with a car or a taxi on stand-bye duty as a matter of abundant caution. Muralidhar Rao

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  I checked with Mr. Tripathi. The frequency is of Vayu Vajra and Suvarna buses combined. Just the Vayu Vajras will be as per your calculations.

However, one thing I forgot to ask, is if this service is 24x7. Any idea ? 

-----------------------

Regards

Devesh R. Agarwal

Visit my aviation blog at http://aviation.deveshagarwal.com

 

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Naveen - as you were suggesting, BMTC just launched a Taxi and Bus ride to the airport. A call and a taxi will pick you up from your doorstep and drop you at the bus stop - and get you a 25% off on the bus. Its the return trip that I didnt understand well. they require a 4 hour advance notice, hence I probably have to call the taxi when I leave from say Delhi? Would be better if the Call Cab's Numbers were pasted inside the bus, and the call can be made on the journey.

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Narayan - read this report in the papers yesterday - sounds great !

Since a taxi will have to be waiting at the bus stop on arrival from airport, they would require advance notice, & not after your arrival as time may be too short to arrange & their taxis may all be engaged.

In contrast, when one is going to the airport, most people arrange taxi pickups well in advance (upto 24 hrs earlier), so they have made clear that you would need to call from, say Delhi to have advance notice of a requirement of a taxi - this would give them time to arrange the service & have it ready on arrival.

By the way, did you push this through ?  :)

 

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I did write a lenghty proposal to Mr Vishwanath - Chief Commerical Officer BMTC but looking at the level of finalization of cabs I think they were working on it already. I think this can be a good business ploy for any Private Taxi. If I need a taxi I usulally call and it comes immideately (no advance notice. If they all introduce Airport bus-drop schemes, the competition will work in favor of the users.

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I did a lot of search but was not able to get the timings for the BMTC Volvo buses from Electronic City to BIAL

Can someone help me to get the timings charts?

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You can see the schedules and book seats online on the Airport Shuttle Volvos through http://www.viaworld.in

People have already started reserving seats. I tried a mock booking till the payment page and it works fine. Only issue is that the list of pick-up points gets mixed up with other city names. 

I don't now why the airport website hasn't been updated with flight schedules or shuttle timings. The site surely needs lots of improvements in terms of aesthetics, navigability and content.

 

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While at BIAL I had picked up some BMTC schedules and rates here they are

[flickr-photo:id=2518099216,size=m] [flickr-photo:id=2518099742,size=m]
Routes

[flickr-photo:id=2517300733,size=m] [flickr-photo:id=2518120062,size=m]

[flickr-photo:id=2517301751,size=m] [flickr-photo:id=2518120934,size=m]

[flickr-photo:id=2518121372,size=m] [flickr-photo:id=2517300493,size=m]

-- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi

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BMTC is the best in India. I have traveled many cities & the seen transport conditions but BMTC & KSRTC are the best.

 Mohammed Ismail

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http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/25/stories/2008052551020300.htm

Naveen - could a temporary Bus rapid corridor be planned between Whitefield, Electronics City and BIA? 

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http://www.viaworld.in/bdo anybody use this?

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Mcadambi,

A BRT on exclusive lanes is being considered from BIAL to Hebbal & also on the eastren part of ring road (Hebbal to Silkboard via Beniganahalli, Marathalli & Sarjapur road).

Temporary BRT is of no use as lanes will be overrun & might actually cause more confusion.

We have color brochures, on-line booking & all info about the bus services now.

However, as of now, timings are, at best indicators since they would need more experience in operating the service to know patronization levels before establishing a firm schedule that is dependable & reliable.

 

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how did i miss yogi's post? thanks a million yogi.

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Pls Send Bus schedule from Bangalore city to BIAL

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