552 new BMTC buses to be added soon: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Bengaluru: In the year 2013-14, 552 new BMTC buses will be added to the existing fleet. Ambitious expansion plans are in the pipeline as well. These include: construction of depots at M.S.Palya, Madappanahalli, Utthanahalli, Byrathi at a cost of Rs 26.20 crore and divisional workshop at Challaghatta, at a cost of Rs 26 crores under the JnNURM project. The announcements were made by the Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday while addressing the media.

BMTC is also planning to develop 6 Traffic and Transit Management Centers (TTMC) in different parts of Bangalore under PPP viz., Hebbal, Electronic City, Yelahanka (Puttenahalli), Chikkabettahalli (M S Palya).

Meanwhile the construction of depots at Kodathi have been completed and these will start operations soon. Depots as Mandur, Sadaramangala, Devenahalli, Nagadasanahalli, Sadhenahalli and Anjanapura will soon be completed at a cost of Rs 21.90 crores. Construction work for new bus stations at Mallasandra,

Yalahanka and Anjanapura at a cost Rs 30 crores has been taken up and a new Divisional Workshop at Dasanapura is coming up at a cost of Rs 6 crores. Highly modern and high-tech bus stations are planned to be constructed at BTM Layout at a cost of Rs 60 crores and at Kalasipalya at a cost of Rs 175 crores.

About 6,092 schedules were operated till November-2012 which increased to 6,384 this year. 265 new schedules have been added till November this year while last year only 170 new schedules were operated. Till November last year the cancellation rate was 6% which has been brought down to 3.9% this year.

“3305.16 lakh km has been operated as on November-2013 while 3248.25 lakh km was operated for the same period during 2012,” he added.