Bengaluru: BMTC plans non-AC express bus service with fewer stops to cut commute time
In a bid to offer faster public transport options for long-distance commuters, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is preparing to roll out a fleet of non-air-conditioned express buses that will make fewer stops and take advantage of city flyovers to shorten travel times, Moneycontrol reported.
Unlike regular non-AC buses, the upcoming service, likely to be launched under a new brand, will come with slightly higher fares, the report further added.
However, it will still accommodate women passengers under the state's Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel to women across Karnataka.
'We are working on route plans for these express services. Take Chikkaballapur, for instance, we already operate buses on that route, but the journey takes longer due to too many halts. These new buses will skip low-ridership stops and stick to major points, using flyovers where possible,' a senior BMTC official was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.
Areas like Attibele, Harohalli, Devanahalli, and Nelamangala are also under consideration for these services, based on emerging demand and ongoing analysis of passenger data.
(Also Read: Bengaluru civic body engineer caught red-handed taking ₹10 lakh bribe, arrested)
The BMTC move comes after app-based bike taxi services came to a grinding halt across Karnataka on Monday after the state's transport department enforced a High Court directive suspending their operations.
Major ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber, and Rapido removed the bike taxi option from their apps, following the latest legal setback. The move came after a division bench of the Karnataka High Court declined to stay a previous order that had suspended such services in the state.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy confirmed that aggregators are now bound to follow the court's ruling. 'Three months ago, the court ruled that bike taxis are illegal. It initially gave six weeks, and then another six weeks on request. Now that 12 weeks have passed, the aggregators must follow the High Court order,' he told PTI.
The division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar, was hearing appeals filed by Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd, ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd (which runs Ola), and Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd (which operates Rapido), among others. The bench refused to intervene, effectively putting a pause on all bike taxi services in the state.
The crackdown has sparked concern among daily commuters and gig workers, many of whom relied on bike taxis as a faster, affordable mode of transport or source of livelihood.
(With agency inputs)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
3 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
BMTC to introduce express bus services along key Bengaluru routes from today
The BMTC will run 48 buses that will make 348 daily trips on the express routes. It will also issue monthly passes for these services at a cost of Rs 1,500.
United News of India
5 hours ago
- United News of India
Telangana Guv participates in West Bengal state Foundation day celebrations held in Raj Bhavan
Hyderabad, June 20 (UNI): Telangana Governor of Jishnu Dev Varma participated in the West Bengal State Foundation Day celebrations held at Raj Bhavan, here on Friday . The event showcased the rich cultural heritage of West Bengal, with active participation from Bengali associations based in Hyderabad. The celebration featured traditional classical and folk dance performances by Bengali artists, bringing vibrancy and grandeur to the occasion. In his address on the occasion, the Governor paid homage to the illustrious legacy of West Bengal, lauding its immense contributions to the nation's cultural, intellectual, and spiritual landscape. He underscored the strong historical and cultural ties between Bengal and Telangana, and emphasised the importance of such celebrations in promoting national unity through the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. Reflecting on Bengal's enduring impact on India's journey, the Governor said that the state has produced towering figures in literature, philosophy, social reform, and the freedom movement. He recalled that the national song "Vande Mataram", which inspired millions during the freedom struggle, and the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana"—composed by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore—both originated from Bengal. Quoting a famous remark, he said, 'What Bengal thinks today, the nation thinks tomorrow.' Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Telangana, Justice Sujoy Paul, in his address, paid tribute to the legacy of Justice Ashutosh Mukherjee, an eminent jurist and former Vice Chancellor. He also noted that the first Indian judge of the High Court was a Bengali, underlining Bengal's historic contributions to India's judicial and academic spheres. Justice Ms Moushumi Bhattacharjee, Judge, High Court of Telangana; Sabyasachi Ghosh, Special Chief Secretary to Government; and M. Dana Kishore, Principal Secretary to the Governor, also spoke on the occasion. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from several Bengali dignitaries, Raj Bhavan officers and staff, and members of the Bengali community residing in Hyderabad, making it a memorable and inclusive celebration. UNI KNR SSP
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Man hides past divorces, loses current plea in HC
Kolkata: Calcutta High Court has set aside the divorce decree granted to a man 5 years ago on the basis of cruelty and desertion, as he hid his prior two divorces from the wife. The couple married in in Jan 2010 but it did not last more than six months. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A child was born to them in Sept 2010. The couple have been living separately for nearly 15 years now. In 2019, the trial court granted the divorce, upholding the allegations of cruelty and desertion posed by the husband against the wife. While the husband claimed to have disclosed that he was a divorcee, the wife claimed that he did not disclose his two divorces prior to marrying her. The husband claimed that the wife left him after six months of marriage and kept complaining to everyone, including his employer, which led to him being fired. A part of his claim rested on the wife's purported neglect of household duties, her prioritisation of her legal profession as a practising advocate, and repeated threats to file false cases, which, according to him, resulted in a case under Section 498A of IPC. The wife's version was that she was driven out of the house while she was pregnant, and when she tried re-entering after giving birth, she was not allowed. She claimed that the husband questioned her "moral character". To support her claims, the wife submitted documents of the husband's two prior marriages and her approaching the protection officer in Howrah, showing her efforts to seek reconciliation and resume cohabitation. She approached the High Court, stating that the trial court "egregiously erred by equating her legitimate pursuit of legal redress" with cruelty, without any proof of it being false or with malicious intent. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On June 11, The division bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Uday Kumar held: "We conclude that a divorce decree cannot be granted to a party (petitioner) who perpetrated foundational cruelty (eg, deliberate marital deception) of greater magnitude than any alleged misconduct by the other spouse, even if the marriage is irretrievably broken down, as it would constitute a miscarriage of justice and violate the principle of 'clean hands'. " On the fact that the wife resorted to legal means for genuine grievance, the bench held that it cannot be automatically branded as "having committed cruelty" unless there is malicious intent shown.
