The operational efficiency of city buses operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has dropped significantly. The staff shortage and non-induction of new buses have impacted city bus services. In the pre-COVID-19 times, each bus operated by the corporation would cover a distance of close to 200 km per day, which has now come down to around 170 km, BMTC sources said. Increasing traffic congestion over the years and poor road conditions have also impacted services.
While the ridership has not gone back to the pre-pandemic levels, the BMTC services are also getting thinner. Presently, BMTC is running a schedule of 5,600 services which used to be 6,200 services during pre-COVID-19 times. Expectedly, the ridership is hovering around an average of 26-27 lakh passengers a day, down from an average of 35 lakh passengers per day.
