The long wait and high fares for a taxi from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is making passengers opt for the Vayu Vajra services operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The corporation has gradually increased airport bus services and is inching closer to the revenue levels before COVID-19.
In March, 80 schedules of the Vayu Vajra services were operated and now, it has touched 94. On weekends, additional services are operated depending on arrivals of flights.
Increased ridership has helped the corporation generate more fare box revenue. The daily revenue has jumped from ₹15.65 lakh (in March) to ₹21 lakh (in May ), getting closer to the pre-pandemic levels of around ₹24 lakh.
An official of the BMTC said, “When compared to taxis, the Vayu Vajra services are a cheaper option to travel to and from the airport. This is one of the factors for increased use. On the other hand, flight operations — both domestic and international — increased from April, resulting in more footfall. Depending on the arrival details, we are running the required number of Vayu Vajra services.”
Air passengers have been complaining about a slew of issues — longer waiting time, drivers demanding excess fare, not taking toll roads but asking passengers to pay toll fee at the end of the trip, and not switching the meter on. Aggregators are yet to resolve these issues.
Ranjan V., an air passenger said, “I was waiting for over half-an-hour to book a cab. Like me, there were many other people. Meanwhile, a BMTC bus crew approached me and asked where I was going to travel. I told him that I want to go to Shantinagar. He shared more details about the bus service. When I agreed to travel in the bus, he took our luggage and helped us to board the bus. The crew was very polite and professional. It was a good journey and we saved a lot of money as well”.
Though the Vayu Vajra services are economical compared to taxis, the first-mile and the last-mile connectivity from bus stops are an issue for passengers.
Rakshita Prakash, another regular traveller, said, “There is no doubt that fares are economical compared to taxis. However, for women passengers, finding a taxi or an auto from bus stops late at night is an issue”.
Passengers also feel that the BMTC has to work on making the services more reliable by providing a mobile app that helps passengers to book tickets, track bus arrival, and others. Earlier, the BMTC had allowed the passengers to book tickets online on the KSRTC website, but after the outbreak of the pandemic, it was discontinued.
Director (IT ) of BMTC A.V. Surya Sen said that the corporation is working on further popularising services. He said within one-and-a-half months, passengers would be able to book tickets online.
“Passenger occupancy is good on trips coming from the airport. However, for certain reasons, occupancy is low on buses going to the airport. Passengers may be anxious about buses reaching on time. We have already taken measures to increase the frequency and make services more reliable.”
The BMTC has started services from new points to the airport. Recently, services were introduced from Kengeri.
The official added that the BMTC will hold talks with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to open counters near the exit point to assist the air passengers. “There are some concerns raised over non-availability of security staff at the TTMC or major bus stops when the buses arrive at night. We have taken measures to deploy required security staff at night,” said the official.
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