Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will resume bus service from June 21 (Monday). BMTC had suspended the bus services on April 27 after Karnataka went into lockdown due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. According to a statement released by BMTC, 2,000 buses will operate across major traffic routes in Bengaluru city. With a fleet of 17 buses, BMTC’s VayuVajra bus service, which operates between the airport and other parts of the city, will make 117 trips between Kempegowda International Airport to Kempegowda Bus Station and Electronic City. The bus service will operate between 6 am and 7 pm every day.
To avoid the use of cash, the BMTC will provide QR code-based digital ticketing in all its buses. Commuters can use any UPI service such as PhonePe and Google Pay app to pay for the ticket using the QR code. However, commuters who do not have smartphones can use cash. The statement also announced that the monthly pass for April 2021 would be extended to July 8. Several citizens’ groups had asked for the BMTC to extend its pass as commuters weren’t able to avail of BMTC services due to the strike by its employees in April. BMTC will increase the services based on the passenger volume, according to the statement.
Apart from mandatorily wearing face masks and using hand sanitisers, the crew should restrict the number of passengers travelling in the bus to 50% of the available seating capacity and stop the buses at designated stops for boarding and deboarding. Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation has also listed the precautionary measures that commuters need to follow. These are
> Wear facemasks covers both mouth and nose
> Maintain physical distancing by following a queue system when boarding and alighting from the bus
> Board a bus only if the seats are not occupied. In case they are occupied, wait for the next bus.
> Passengers with fever and other ailments must refrain from travelling