Bengaluru looks to regain top rank in city bus numbers

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has invited tenders to purchase 820 diesel buses as it looks to expand its fleet and increase operations. 

On February 9, the BMTC called tenders to buy 820 fully built Bharat Stage 6 diesel buses. February 17 is the last date to submit the bids. 

GT Prabhakar Reddi, the BMTC’s Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), told DH that the 820 diesel buses would be procured with state government funds. Only 20 buses have been procured from Tata Motors on a trial basis, he added. 

This is the last in the series of bus purchases that the city transporter has planned in the short term. The purchases are expected to help Bengaluru regain the top spot in the number of city buses. Delhi has 7,135 city buses, the most of any city in India. 

In October 2022, the BMTC floated tenders to buy 840 diesel buses, but had to put the process on hold because of a petition filed in the High Court of Karnataka. 

The petition argued that the BMTC was purchasing buses with a floor height of 1,000 mm, making them unfriendly to people with disabilities. In March 2023, the court allowed the BMTC to go ahead with the bus purchase after the transporter stated that the vehicles provide full accessibility to passengers using wheelchairs. However, the assembly elections delayed the process. 

The BMTC later decided to float fresh tenders. Another BMTC official said the tender would be finalised in two months and the buses would come in the second half of this year. The BMTC spends Rs 78/km on a diesel bus, but earns only Rs 66. Volvo buses cost Rs 105/km, but earn only Rs 70/km. 

The BMTC, which had 6,688 buses by March 31, 2023, has rolled out a plan to buy or lease 2,211 vehicles. These include 921 non-AC electric buses, 840 diesel buses, 320 AC e-buses, 120 midi-buses, and 10 AC double-decker e-buses. 

In December 2023, the operator inducted 100 of the 921 non-AC e-buses from TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd and expects to get the rest in the next few months. 

The BMTC has already called tenders to lease 320 AC e-buses, 120 midi-buses and 10 double-decker buses. Many of these buses will likely hit the road later this year, according to a BMTC official. 

The BMTC has to phase out nearly 700 overage buses, including nearly 300 Volvo buses, by March. A bus that runs 11 lakh kilometres or turns 15 years ago has to be scrapped, as per the BMTC rules. 

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy had earlier said the BMTC needed 10,000 buses to better serve the growing mobility needs of Bengaluru and its catchment areas. 

Double-decker buses 

The BMTC has invited tenders to lease 10 double-decker buses on a Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. The contractor will have to supply, operate and maintain the bus while the BMTC will pay it on a per-kilometre basis. A pre-bid meeting will take place on Monday while the last date to submit the bids is March 4. 

The buses will be procured with funds from the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the State Urban Transport Fund (SUTF) from the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT). 

In January 2023, the BMTC called bids to buy five double-decker e-buses and almost finalised the tender in favour of Ashok Leyland-backed Switch Mobility, the lone bidder.

However, the state government scrapped the tender and asked the BMTC to lease the buses instead. 

The new buses will run on three routes (Shivajinagar-Majestic via Vidhana Soudha, Attibele-Majestic and Silk Board Junction-Tin Factory Junction). 

Double-decker buses were common sights on Bengaluru’s streets until the late 1990s.