Commuting in Bangalore

I landed in Bangalore a decade back to pursue my Post Grads in Management and used to be amazed about public transport usage and reliability aspects. But things have slowly changed (call it better or  worse) and these changes have impacted public in more than one way. 

• A simple case would be the auto-rickshaw drivers were reliable, polite and beleived that they are a part of the public transport system in Bangalore. But you witness the same auto-rickshaw drivers now - they feel they are not a part of the public transport eco-system. And the auto driver has the authority to accept / reject the offer proposed by a prospective passenger based on various criteria - Roads leading to the proposed destination, guarenteed return trips, distance (short distances are rejected outright & longer distances demands double the rate). Well these auto drivers certainly drive public crazy. Oh yes and then there are these pre-paid booths at various places in Bangalore which is actually operated by the auto-rickshaw drivers standing there. Dont even try out taking autos from these places
  
• One aspect which has certainly made a positive impact is BMTC. Yes there might be flipsides here too, but overall BMTC's taken a huge step towards developing Bangalore. Launch of Volvo services (by name Vajra), dedicated Volvo services to BIAL (Bangalore International Airport - Service goes by name Vayu Vajra), Suvrana services, Pushpak services & finally the normal busses. The launch of Volvo services as public transport is certainly great. It costs BMTC Rs 52 Per KM to operate these volvo services. Ticket prices vary from as low as Rs 10 to Rs 45 on the higher side (Banashankri to ITPL would be Rs 45). My say is this, instead of arguing with the auto-rickshaw drivers about the rate, distance, return trip gurantees its better to use BMTC Vajra. You atleast get a peace of mind in return. 

Well so there are two ways you can get around in Bangalore. If you are mentally strong enough to bear the rants of an auto driver & in turn pay him more - you can opt in for an auto rickshaw ride.

But if you want some peace of mind during your travel, then BMTC Volvo (Vajra) is for you. And for all of you people who are fairly new to Bangalore, the BMTC website would be great ready reckoner http://www.bmtcinfo.com/english/volvo.htm

And you always have the option of renting a cab services if you have the capacity to shell out some real good dough.