Are commuters paying a high price for bad service?

On Tuesday, Bangalore’s bus commuters, under the aegis of the Bangalore Bus Prayaanikara Vedike (BBPV), kickstarted the ‘50 Paise’ campaign at the Majestic Bus Stand.
Along with reducing current bus fares to make them affordable for passengers, the campaign also urged the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) — the government agency that operates the bus service in the city — and the state government to turn Bangalore’s public transport system into a serviceoriented model, rather than a profit-making entity.As part of the campaign, the BBPV is planning to collect 10 lakh signatures from citizens and submit a memorandum to chief minister Siddaramaiah.

“Bus fares in Bangalore are much higher when compared to cities like Mumbai and Chennai. It has become hard for commuters from lower income groups to afford ticket prices. The monthly bus pass costs 725 ( 925 for red board buses). We fear that prices will go up further, as a hike in diesel prices is likely in the coming days,” says Manohar Elavarthi, who is spearheading the campaign.

“With the 50 Paise campaign, we are demanding that commuters be charged 50 paise per kilometre of travel. We will also hold a public rally on March 4 to demand a revised fare structure,” adds Manohar.
Transport expert L Hemant Kumar agrees that bus rates are high, but adds that there are reasons for it. “Currently, the BMTC spends 40% of its revenue in paying the salaries of its employees, 35% on fuel at market price, and the rest on solving issues like low ultilization of buses due to high traffic movement on roads, which reduces the number of trips per day,” he says. BMTC officials maintain that the corporation does not get any government subsidies to run it and revenue takes care of all its overheads.

With the frequent hikes in bus fare, commuters accuse the BMTC of becoming a profitmaking entity. “There needs to be a debate about whether an organization providing an essential service like public transport should operate on the principle of profit and loss? Public money is invested in other departments, but there is no clamour for profit,” wrote Vinay K Sreenivasa, a prominent voice of the BBPV, in an article addressed to the BMTC.
Manohar adds that the focus of the BMTC should be to provide a service. “In Chennai, the state government has released 200 crore to the city transport corporation to provide affordable and comfortable service to commuters,” he says.
While reiterating that public transport has to be economical to get more people to use it, MA Saleem, additional commissioner of police (traffic, Bangalore city) says the BMTC also needs to increase its fleet on the road and provide better connectivity for Bangaloreans. “Once people figure out that there is timely service to all parts of the city at reasonable rates, people will prefer public transport to their own vehicles, thereby reducing congestion on the roads,” he adds.

A recent study titled ‘Urban Bus Transport Service Quality and Sustainable Development: Understanding the Gaps’ conducted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and MS Ramaiah Institute of Management point out that there’s a distinct lack of customer satisfaction in Bangalore. The survey highlighted issues like poor maintenance of buses and bus stops, low frequency of buses during peak hours, non-availability of first-aid boxes and and unfriendly staff on buses. Regular commuters also cited issues with hygiene, given that buses are rarely given a wash, and uncomfortable seating (if available), as the upholstery is often age-old.
“I am a regular bus commuter. Boarding a bus during peak hours is nothing short of fighting a mini-battle as you push your way through a longqueue of passengers. This won’t be the case if there are more buses plying at regular intervals. Moreover, all the buses are old and need to be replaced soon,” says child rights activist Nagasimha Rao.