This Feeder Bus service is a very good idea. I hope it is successful. But how about suggesting to BMTC to create a local Feeder bus service in several areas. For example. In Mall-eswaram, there will soon be two huge Malls at both ends - Mantri and Brigade. They could provide a service which goes as follows.
Mantri Mall - along Sampige Road - 17th Cross -8th Main - Yeswantpur TTMC/Station - Metro - Brigade Mall - 17th Cross - along 11th Main - Mantri Mall station.
Alternately, one could have something going on Sampige directly to Yeswantpur. They could use smaller sized buses as the roads are not that big.
This would greatly benefit a lot of people. For one, Malleswaram locals can use it to get around - from West Malleswaram to Sampige Road, for example, instead of their cars. People in the Malls can use it to get to the other stations/Malls/TTMC.
There is minimal addition of infrastructure required.
Of course I speak of Malleswaram because I am familiar with it. I'm sure something like this could be instituted everywhere.
Why not use feeders for regular BMTC routes?
There has been a lot of discussions about using mini buses /feeders and it appears like BMTC is not very keen on the idea, I feel the feeders from interior locations to important transit points or trunk routes are the need of the hour. If BMTC can provide feeder to metro why not elsewhere? For ex, I would imagine a feeder between bommanahalli, kodichikkanahalli, bilekahalli, jayadeva and back. It could also feed all the interior villages across the Big 10 routes There are several such areas where bus connectiviety is poor and we have to depend on uscurplous autos. If implemented well, I am sure these would be a huge success.
We asked in our award function to Mr Shankarlinge Gowda if these minibuses can be opened to private players. He replied such a scheme in Mexico has caused extreme chaos and has not been successful. BMTC themselves will not run last mile as it is not economically feasible for them and my reading is that they want autos to take up that role which will never happen.
I have in another thread suggested they divide ring road/big 10 pie's into zones & provide minibus & share auto licence & limit the numbers based on traffic carried. Zone based permit systems to connect metro, commuter rail, trunk big 10 routes is the way to go. It is hard work & can be done.
While my experience with the Metro was, as expected, good, I think BMTC is still getting its act together on the Feeder Service. I waited 20 minutes on MG Road (near MG Statue) for a bus, but none came. I had seen an MG-MF1 bus ply on the route when I was headed to my meeting, so I thought that where I was waiting was a legitimate route. I now realise that 129D is one bus (KBS to KBS), which passes near the MG statue, and will take people to the MG Road Metro.
At the Ulsoor Metro station where I alighted, there were a lot of BMTC people (inspectors, etc.), but none was very sure of which bus would go where. Finally, it was confirmed that MF-2 & 4 would go to my destination - Cambridge Layout (and the bus did). However, I think it was the first time the driver was operating the bus on this route, since he got non-plussed at the one-way that comes up after Frank Anthony School. However, I was able to guide him, since I am familiar with this area. New experience for me!!
The driver & conductor, though, were friendly, and were trying to be helpful.
I think BMTC will take a few more days to stabilise their Feeder services.
I hope they will also give good publicity (at least on their website) about the exact routes of these buses, because the worst thing would be to end up waiting endlessly at a place where the bus will never come.
He replied such a scheme in Mexico has caused extreme chaos and has not been successful.
Last year at the very same function, at the very same venue, he had stated the very same thing, when I had raised the same subject. After the meeting, on a one to one, when I asked him "why he had to cite Mexico, when we have enough similar examples in our very backyard - for instance, Delhi's then BLUE-LINE services", and as to "how any one can expect anything better when these players are asked to operate with their hands literally tied behind their backs, through the use of the dreaded Contract Carriage Act and such licence-permit raaj mechanisms", all he could do was to nod his head knowingly.
Very clearly, the Shankerlinge Gowda's of this world have all got co-opted. And, like it is said - when you go on repeating untruths, some where along, you begin to believe them.
With my raising the issue repeatedly, I have got branded amongst the babu circles, very conveniently for them, as the "privatisation man". Whatever, that's not going to stop me from demanding "competition", since I firmly believe that BMTC's monopoly is the root cause of a large part of the city's problems.
They have repeatedly stated that short run feeder services are not viable for them. And, that's why their 'so-called feeder services' will invariably be as lengthy as any regular route (check this), as compared to what it should be - check this.
For Metro, they have specifically come up with short run feeder services, just to keep "Namma Metro" from getting into the business (in which they were very much interested), which would then have been an intrusion into their monopoly area, just like in the case of Vayu-Vajra services also, though both are loss making propositions for them. At least, it can be said of the Vayu-Vajra services, that they are good. I doubt the Metro feeder services will match up anywhere close to them.
@ Ramesh/ Sathyanak - The Totall Mall on Sarjapura road apparently already operates a feeder service on the lines suggested by you - look for it here.
That, and the model-P discussed therein perhaps hold the answer to the critical last-mile connectivity problem.
But, for all of that, the monopolies have first to be dismantled - check this.
I had taken the BPH/MF-3. Other than a news item in the TOI I could not find amy information on the service. It is poorly advertised and very few people know about the routes and the frequency.
is hidden conveniently and this needs more publicity to decongest the roads and for the metro to be successful.
Also at Byappanahalli the bus stand is just name sake it is on the side od a dusty road, not marked and with no shelter and there is no proper facility for people to cross the road or walk.
Metro Launch - monumental waste of money.