Urban News

The Deccan Chronicle  02.09.2010

Sept. 1: The Mercedes Benz buses, which were launched on a trial basis for three days by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation(BMTC) on IT routes, has elicited a good response. With IT professionals making a rush for the Rs 5 ride in the luxury buses, BMTC plans to introduce the buses on a permanent basis to cater to the needs of those travelling to and from IT hubs like Electronic City and ITPL.

According to BMTC officials, over 30,000 passengers have utilized the new Benz service during the 3-day period. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior BMTC official said: "We received a good response from the general public since the fare was pretty low.

The trial run will be on between these destinations for a month after which we will deploy Benz buses on a permanent basis for BMTC. We hope to start Benz services between Majestic and Electronic city since a lot of IT employees travel on this route. IT hubs like ITPL, Electronic City, and Bannerghatta Road, are likely to have the Benz bus service on a permanent basis. The final decision on introducing Benz buses will be taken only after the trial period is over."

The buses with low floors and semi-low floors, ran on important routes with BMTC charging only Rs 5 irrespective of the distance.

“From September 1 to 15, these buses will operate between Kempe Gowda Bus Station (KBS) and Kadugodi, and between KBS and Electronics City (Route nos. 335E and 356C). From September 16 to September 30, the buses will operate between KBS and International Airport (BIAS 9), and Vijayanagar and ITPL. The fares are on par with the Volvo bus fares,” stated the official.