BMTC inspects seven-metre buses as it plans 200 midi buses despite past record, revenue concerns
The move comes at a time when the corporation has historically faced both safety concerns involving midi buses and financial challenges associated with operating smaller buses.
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is currently inspecting and evaluating different bus models as part of its plan to introduce 200 seven-metre midi/mini-buses. This initiative aims to enhance connectivity in narrow roads and interior parts of the city. However, BMTC has previously faced safety concerns and financial challenges with midi buses, which has made the corporation cautious about expanding its smaller-bus fleet.
The need for these smaller vehicles is driven by the growing demand for first- and last-mile connectivity to Namma Metro stations. Additionally, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh has directed the deployment of 200 mini-air-conditioned electric buses within a 5-km radius of Metro stations. These buses are part of the 4,500 electric buses to be provided to BMTC under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme.
Despite these plans, BMTC must carefully consider the economics of operating mini and midi buses, as they have lower passenger-carrying capacity compared to standard 12-metre buses while requiring similar crew arrangements.
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