The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has received the green signal to operate air-conditioned Volvo buses, two days after it sought permission from the government.
The Transport Department has stated that AC buses can be operated on the airport route (Vajra and Vayu Vajra services) and as per the demand from passengers.
Running more than 800 Volvo buses, each of which cost about Rs 1 crore, is crucial for the transporter, especially on the airport route. The Vayu Vajra services, with their high-priced tickets, are known to have been bringing high rates of returns over the last few years.
The BMTC has been running skeleton services because of the Covid-related restrictions on the number of passengers allowed on each bus. The bus operations are presently restricted to 12 hours, from 7 am to 7 pm. BMTC officials, however, hope there will be more relaxations in the next phase of the lockdown.