A Vayu Vajra bus at the Bengaluru airport.
DH file photo
Bengaluru: High cab fares are prompting thousands of flyers to choose the BMTC's Vayu Vajra bus service to travel to the Kempegowda International Airport, located about 35 km from the city centre.
With their trademark blue, the air-conditioned buses built by Volvo have become a hit with airport passengers, in the process scripting a remarkable turnaround after the pandemic.
They now ferry nearly 13,000 passengers every day and bring in a revenue of Rs 32 lakh, according to officials.
On September 11, when cab drivers went on strike, Vayu Vajra buses earned Rs 60 lakh. One of their passengers was cricket legend Anil Kumble.
"The passenger response has been very good. The Vayu Vajra buses have reached breakeven," a senior BMTC official said. "The demand is so robust we introduced two new routes."
But this wasn't always the case.
With roads choked with traffic, the state-run Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) struggled to attract high-spending passengers, who want both comfort and convenience. The BMTC's Volvo bus services (Vajra and Vayu Vajra) had decent occupancy in the past, but the pandemic turned everything upside down.
Vajra services (plying on non-airport routes), which primarily catered to IT professionals, took a hit because of the work-from-home norms. The impact was so debilitating that they still haven't recovered even after a 54% reduction in fares.
However, the Volvo services to the airport (Vayu Vajra) showed opposite results due to two factors: increased passenger traffic to the airport and high cab fares.
In 2022-23, nearly 32 million passengers travelled through the Bengaluru airport, or nearly one lakh per day. The opening of the glitzy Terminal 2 has also helped drive up the Vayu Vajra ridership.
High cab fares charged by ride aggregators, such as OLA and Uber, and the withdrawal of ride-sharing also contributed to this.
The free bus travel scheme for women has had no impact on Vayu Vajra services because the BMTC doesn't operate non-premium buses to the airport.
The BMTC is now focusing on improving the passenger experience. It's training the Vayu Vajra crew in soft skills and laying special emphasis on ensuring the safety of women passengers, the official explained.
"The passenger response has been very good. The Vayu Vajra buses have reached breakeven. The demand is so robust we introduced two new routes" - A senior BMTC official
BMTC's airport buses No of services: 132Passengers/day: 12600Revenue: Rs 32 lakhKilometres/day: 46110 kmRevenue/bus: Rs 23800Cost per km: Rs 84Earnings per km: Rs 68.28Monthly passes issued: 2000Revenue from monthly passes: Rs 73 lakh/month New routes: BEML 6th Stage RR Nagar; Kanakapura Road (Art of Living) Busiest routes: Majestic (KIA-9) Electronics City (KIA-8) Before Covid: BMTC ran 125 Vayu Vajra buses per day that earned Rs 25-26 lakh and ferried under 10000 passengers.