Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation set to overhaul old buses at Rs 30 crore

Bengaluru: BMTC buses that have run over 5-6 lakh km are all set to get a facelift at a cost of Rs 30 crore.

The transport corporation sent the proposal to the government last month and is waiting for approval. Of the 6,400 buses run by the corporation, more than 1,000 buses need such an overhaul.

“The proposal is still pending. If Rs 1 lakh is spent on each bus, they will be new and continue to run for another couple of years,” reasoned BMTC chairman Nagaraj Yadav. He said that the corporation is still thinking of inducting new buses, but overhauling will give old buses a facelift.

BMTC insiders said that the decision was taken as frequent breakdown of buses was becoming a major source of embarrassment for the corporation. Last year, the BMTC phased out over 700 buses and had identified another 1,300 buses that were in service for over 10 years.

Mr Yadav said, “If buses break down frequently, depot managers are held responsible. If this proposal is approved, a few buses will get their engines repaired and undergo complete mechanical overhauling.” Last week, the union government approved the subsidy for only 40 buses, though the cash-strapped corporation had asked for 150 buses for a pilot run.