BMTC bus rides!

Its been five years since i bought my bike and thus ended my dependence on the public transport system. Other than one or two occasional rides on a BMTC bus between two or three stops, i have not tested the public transport system of Bangalore for the above mentioned period.

All of this changed early this week when i had to leave my (beloved Fiat Palio 1.6 sport :D !) car for it regular servicing at the service station that is at the other end of the city as compared to my office. The service adviser was kind enough to drop me at the nearest bus stop with the following words "you will easily get an auto to your office from here sir".

As i walked towards an empty auto close by, something snapped inside my mind, in a split second the decision was taken, no auto for this ride back, it was going to be good ol' BMTC's bus ride for me. And to as if to prove a point, at that very instant a partially empty BMTC bus drew up alongside the bus shelter. No looking back, two connecting buses and 90 minutes later i was in my office after a ride that was not half as bumpy and stressful as an auto ride!

Speaking of BMTC (bangalore metropolitan transport corporation) , this urban transport body or Bangalore city has improved by leaps and bounds. When i was in school i remember traveling by BMTC buses and dreading the entire process of traveling in those overcrowded red monstrosities. By the time i had reached college there was a sea of change in the way in which BMTC operated, the buses were painted a pleasant white and blue, the frequency of almost all routes were increased to a decent level, the buses were so much more commuter friendly with bucket seats, pneumatic doors and a host of other general improvements. It was a thrill to get to college everyday with my student pass enabling a number of "bus hop - save time" adventures. Those were the days. Recently after the introduction of air conditioned Volvo buses, i have been envying BMTC commuters who get to travel in comfort and luxury with LCD TV's and radio stations playing out, and I have the unenviable task of navigating my car through Bangalore traffic! All said and done, BMTC is still not exactly the ideal urban transport corporation, it does have its drawbacks vis-a-vis frequency of routes, capacity etc., but i am confident that at some point of time in the future they would meet citizen expectations in every way possible.

What excited me the most was the ride back home, a journey which involved a route change and multi-hop policy - back to good old college days. On the way home i had the conductor on one of the buses giving me gyaan on the internal electronics of cell phones, this after he had enquired about which company i work for and what my current area of expertise is! (currently multimedia audio and speech in cell phone systems is my area of expertise) What amazed me is how comfortable he was in speaking to me and how comfortable i was in listening to him :)! Making easy conversation with complete strangers on the bus was something i enjoyed in my college days :) ... it felt like i was back in college ....

The high point of the bus ride was good old route No. 201. Route No. 201, the hallowed bus route, the mother of all routes on the BMTC network, the bus route that i have used most extensively in my college days. All those familiar sights, sounds and smells. Traveling salesmen, tired masons, chirpy college students, drunk vagabonds, innocuous looking pick pockets, the hassled bus conductor, the horn happy driver, me continuously messaging a friend ... hmmm totally nostalgic about my college days ...

But of course i guess i am not cut out for a regular bus commute now ... i got my car back ... and i enjoy driving it around! What i'd love to do is repeat BMTC bus route hopping at least once a month so that i don't lose touch with the side of me that enjoys using public transport ... someday i might not have my car ... i might not even have a bike ... I should be constantly prepared to face all challenges that life throws at me!


Closing thought:
Thank you BMTC!