[audioholic]

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

Reg volvo buses going full in peak hours - I can show you hundreds of examples in hosur road alone of how AC buses are plying free during peak hours. The cost (both capex and opex) of running a volvo bus is huge => there should be minimum less crowded trips. Even if all volvo goes full during peak hours, it alone does not provide profitability.

Srini

Dear sir,
BMTC being a government organisation should aim to offer service to people rather than focussing on profitablity. The volvos were not introduced keeping profits in mind. If it were so, they could have brought a normal TATA or AL bus with AC and introduced it to increase their profit margins. When the Marcopolos were pictured as a VFM alternative to volvo, BMTC didnt continue purchasing them due to the various issues faced. If costs were the only factor to be considered, they could have brought more MP buses.

They are generating enough profits from other routes and services. Volvos too are not doing that bad especially in recent times. There are a good amount of daily and monthly passes sold. Not that they hit a jackpot, but definitely not bad too.

When you speak of empty buses, whats wrong in chartering them? It will improve utilisation as well as reduce empty runs of buses. They can lend buses from non popular routes, or extra buses and earn revenue. Definitely better than running empty buses.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Before i join the discussions - I'm a keralite (Hence can't even contest this STC awards), but have used both MTC and BMTC extensively. Here's my 2 or 3 cents on this matter.

1. Volvo and new generation JN Nurm buses are better in bangalore compared to MTC.
2. For ordinary buses (by ordinary I am referring to the cheapest ones - White and blue karnata buses and MTC buses still with those iron and rexin seats, I'd prefer MTC over BMTC.
3. BMTC bus depots and stations are way above what MTC offers. Multi-level parking facilities, commercial complexes etc. Way better.
4. Overall - I would rate BMTC higher than MTC. Lot more dependable and comfortable, specially if you stick to the Volvo services.

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

1. The conductors never issue tickets when you travel short distance and just say "kodi sir". They are OK with 2,3 or 5 rupees. This is something I have never seen in TNSTCs/MTC.

Agreed. Even i have faced this only in BMTC ordinary buses. However, my experience with Volvo buses have been really good. Conductors are very polite and service oriented.

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

2. They dont return change at all. For example, if the ticket is 8 or 9 rupees, they'll never return the change unless you stress. This is again something I have never seen in TNSTC/MTC.

Haven't faced this issue with BMTC yet. However, I have faced this issue with MTC specially during the early days when I couldn't properly speak in Tamil.

Should be more to do with human tendency to cheat unsuspecting customers, rather than MTC/BMTC specialities.

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

Volvo buses going mainly vacant. Of course they charge a lot...That may be one point for their profitability.

BMTC Volvo buses vacant? Buses are a lot more crowded than I have seen in Chennai. Also - they run as office shuttles too, and that also helps in the profitability. In all - I prefer BMTC Volvo buses to MTC Volvo buses anyday. Specially the BMTC airport Volvo buses are much better than MTC volvos.

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

Chennai autos are more clean and modern than bangalore autos FYI.

4 years I've lived in Chennai. Never heard anyone talking good about autos. Used to avoid it like plague because of the rates they qoute. Share autos were shabby and reckless in driving manners. After coming to bangalore, it was like a breath of fresh air when I heard them qoute Rs 30, Rs 50 etc instead of Rs 300 and Rs 500 like their Chennai brothers.

Originally Posted by srinivasr79

BMTC even could nt answer properly for them writing only in kannada in their normal buses. Many state STUs write both in english and the regional language and bangalore is a cosmopolitan city. I'm not against kannada and not asking to ignore kannada also but explaining the real weaknesses of the "so-called" modern bus company.

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

-Volvo bus has announcements in English and Kannada . Most buses that come fitted with LED sign boards have English and Kannada info boards. .

Agreed with Srinivas here. I find it extremly difficult to use ordinary buses in bangalore due to this reason. Volvo buses and the new JN Nurm buses are good though. This is one main area of concern if they indeed are to become the best STC in India.

However -

Originally Posted by DWind

Chennai buses always had boards which were bilingual, atleast the destinations. It is a different matter that they are at the bottom and is not visible with the hindering the view.

Strongly Disagree. I couldn't read Tamil though i could understand it properly. Used to face a lot of difficulty reading tamil language boards. To its credit MTC number system was easier to learn than BMTC though.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

And a travel to airport makes a dent of ~250INR now which makes sense only if you are alone.

This is only for the airport run. From HSR layout to Yelahanka costs Rs 105/- which is pretty acceptable IMO, but the same bus from Yelahanka to airport charges Rs 150/-. Think they are cashing in on the 'supposedly rich' airport travellers.

[sagarpadaki]

I have been travelling on BMTC since child hood(I remember the minimum cost of ticket being 25 paise ) and they have come a long way ahead in terms of improvements in busses and other infrastructure. I don't think any other MTC in India has so many variety of busses catering to different cost groups. The current gen busses are really comfortable! Compared to the tin boxes and unsafe busses of few other states(BEST is the best example), BMTC busses are usually very reliable and you dont see too many break downs on the roads.

BMTC was my only mode of transportation during my Pre-University and Engineering days and i have travelled extensively in it and it had never let me down!

Regarding conductors not giving tickets. They usually do this if you are travelling for 1 or 2 stops. I know its wrong of them. But then again, if i insisted on a ticket , they gave without any ruckus.And WRT change, i have not experienced any-time where in if the conductor just walked away without giving change. Sometimes what happens is, they would have mentioned the balance on the back of the ticket before handing it to you but would not have mentioned explicitly. A frequent traveller on BMTC would know this but a newbie will not.

[audioholic]

Guys lets keep this thread to technicalities and facts instead of creating patriotic and regional issues.

[KPS]

Obviously there is more right than wrong happening at BMTC & KSRTC.

Please read the article
http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...-service-model


Some of the highlights

Optimal funds utilization by KSRTC under JnNURM first phase has paid off. Impressed by the state road transport corporation's good performance, the Centre has allotted a lion's share of buses to Karnataka this year under the second phase of the national urban renewal mission.

Of 10,000 buses, 2,000 have been earmarked for hill states and of the remaining 8,000, KSRTC has been allocated 2,104 buses under JnNURM. With this, Karnataka will have the largest and most updated fleet of public buses in the country.

JnNURM adopts Tumkur model for country

The ministry of urban development (MoUD) has, in fact, emulated the Tumkur city bus model for all districts and smaller towns across the country. KSRTC launched its city bus service in Tumkur on February 18, 2011, with just 10 buses. The fares were kept at Rs 4 per stage which were far below autorickshaw rates. Buses were made to run at a greater frequency during peak hours and on routes which had greater traffic potential.

Cheers

KPS

[xotiq]

This thread seems to be veering towards a BMTC vs others debate. While individual opinions vary, it is a fact that BMTC has managed to do a better job than many other similar corporations.

BMTC is not operating at a six sigma level, and there certainly exist areas for improvement, and no one is denying that. Just because 1-2 conductors don't return change does not make the whole lot black.

Most Indian metro cities face almost similar issues like infrastructure, roads, traffic etc. Compared to other city transport corp's, BMTC seems to have handled these challenges better.

BMTC's did suffer a loss of Rs 147 crores during 2012-13 after posting profits for 4 consecutive years.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle4868625.ece

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by xotiq

This thread seems to be veering towards a BMTC vs others debate. While individual opinions vary, it is a fact that BMTC has managed to do a better job than many other similar corporations.
...

BMTC's did suffer a loss of Rs 147 crores during 2012-13 after posting profits for 4 consecutive years.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle4868625.ece

The article in The Hindu that is quoted mentions deteriorating maintenance of the buses. As I Bangalorean, this is evident. Lately we have started to notice even Volvos breaking down and blocking traffic. The condition of the older buses is both visibly and audibly deteriorating. Damaged bodywork of even Volvos are repaired very crudely.

It's sad to see that a once well-run BMTC is becoming just another ordinary PSU that is riddled with corrupt officers, nepotism and incompetence.

[srinivasr79]

A very valid link....http://www.parisar.org/activities/an...an-cities.html

[ambivalent_98]

The Volvos are being used and badly at that. I see them daily in the 335E route. I see at least one broken down. The older version are in a real bad shape and to be used till they fall apart. I think this problem is rampant with almost all metro or large city bus corporations. Anyway just out of curiosity , I saw a multi-axle city bus on 335E once a long time back. Saw it just once or twice but never again. Were they doing a trial run ? I also wonder when BMTC would get Merc commuter buses which were being tried across cities.
I think KSRTC is already using Merc multi-axles on their long distance routes. Maybe Volvo has given the corporation amazing discounts and in turn they get lot of SOPs making it a water tight partnership. Perhaps KSRTC is a bit more liberal.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

... I saw a multi-axle city bus on 335E once a long time back. Saw it just once or twice but never again. Were they doing a trial run ? I also wonder when BMTC would get Merc commuter buses which were being tried across cities.
I think KSRTC is already using Merc multi-axles on their long distance routes. Maybe Volvo has given the corporation amazing discounts and in turn they get lot of SOPs making it a water tight partnership. Perhaps KSRTC is a bit more liberal.

The rare multi-axle city bus that you saw was given to BMTC for trials, by Volvo. It was a Volvo 7400XL. Check this thread for details:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...mmuting-3.html

And for your other query regarding Merc city buses - the BMTC (and many other STUs) were not happy with the performance of those buses, and did not place an order. Some knowledgeable commuters also shared the same feedback.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

Anyway just out of curiosity , I saw a multi-axle city bus on 335E once a long time back. Saw it just once or twice but never again. Were they doing a trial run ?

Yes, it was on trial. It was tried on regular busy volvo routes (500C, 500D & 335E). It was stopped after bad feedback. Drivers found it difficult to navigate in regular routes. Passengers complained that those buses were slow (since drivers were extra careful).

PS: Even the Corona AC buses hardly find passengers (except during very peak time), even though they run same Volvo routes.

[Ashley2]

Im doubtful whether they were stopped due to feedback that was so bad. Basically that was one of its kind chassis imported for AutoExpo 2012. After show Volvo requested BMTC for a free trial, and that's what has happened. Volvo did all the paperwork to make it road worthy and ensured they ran for those days. With a big question of ambiguity in RoI for regular 8400, its almost an impossible decision for BMTC to purchase them for a sticker price of a crore. Also current urban bus specification (UBS2) is limited to single axle for city bus application. Even Volvo themselves were not interested to include a multi axle in it.

[createrkid]

Originally Posted by msdivy

PS: Even the Corona AC buses hardly find passengers (except during very peak time), even though they run same Volvo routes.

True, I guess people really wish to travel their money's worth. On the contrary, I think that corona buses aren't all that bad either. They're less crowded, which IMHO is the only factor one needs to look at when travelling in a city like Bangalore.The downsides being they're relatively slower and a tad bit noisier than their Volvo counterparts. Though, surprisingly some of the coronas I've traveled in had superior air conditioning as compared to the Volvos, or maybe it's
just up to the driver to decide that.

[girishglg]

Talking about the Coronas in the BMTC fleet, though they are a decent second tier alternative to the Volvos, except for the Volvos or the Vajras as BMTC would like to call them, these Coronas do not seem to be maintained that well.

Firstly the paint color is to blame since they are all white which is prone to get dirty and dull over the period and secondly they also seemed to be bashed up in the front and back like other ordinary service buses.

To add to their woes the headlights and tail lamps are quite a unique affair and once damaged is not replaced with new units unlike the Volvos and TML/AL counterparts which have individual pieces of break/blinkers which can be easily replaced.

However they are far better in terms of comfort and performance than the monsterous smoke belching lemons read the Marcopolo A/c buses that are still in service even now. Wonder what was so wrong with these buses with majority of them breaking down at the drop a hat. This is a far cry from the standard Tata buses that are running in the sky blue, now red coats which seem quite reliable.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by girishglg

However they are far better in terms of comfort and performance than the monsterous smoke belching lemons read the Marcopolo A/c buses that are still in service even now. Wonder what was so wrong with these buses with majority of them breaking down at the drop a hat. This is a far cry from the standard Tata buses that are running in the sky blue, now red coats which seem quite reliable.

Back sometime, the marcopolos were famous for giving a coat of soot on anything that was behind it. BMTC took this feedback seriously, and acted upon it.

They bent the exhaust tail pipe at a near 60deg angle. The result was my cleaned and detailed Dio was covered with a heap of sand the MP bus in front of me kicked while accelarating This is a new way of rising dust compared to the natural way.

Someone should file a petition to ban these buses on counts of unreliablity, excessive noise, excessive smoke, disappointing performance. I can safely tell that investing on these buses was maybe the only investment of BMTC that bombed. The bus sounds like a jet engine while accelarating, consumes fuel also. But where on earth is this power soaked in the transaxle? I think maybe 10% of the racket made is really seen at the wheel compared to what is heard.

Honestly, I respect TATA and AL for their offering. Just that its better they improvise those products compared to trying to land themselves in premium territory.

Leaving that apart, how many non AC rear engined MP buses does BMTC have? I saw one today in route 3 or something going towards Vijaynagar from Jaynagar or so. Are these non AC from factory or the AC was stripped out of the AC bus?