Intra-layout buses: A novel way to boost public transport in Bengaluru

Ten Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus services operating at 10-minute intervals in a closed loop along a well-planned route network, ferrying over a lakh commuters every month — this unique feeder bus service in the city’s HSR Layout has the potential to dramatically alter the way we think of public transport: Local, reliable, planned, and sustainable. Can this intra-layout concept be scaled up?

In August, this system completed its first year, stamping a rare success for BMTC and public transport in general. Operating from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., the service covers all seven HSR Layout sectors along a route length of 8.6 km, with the ticket priced at ₹10. Today, an estimated 5,000 passengers take this feeder bus service every day, including women who are ferried free under the Shakti scheme.

Despite challenges such as the use of big buses on roads with tight turning radius, the system has largely worked. But the big question remains: Can this be replicated in other similar residential layouts spread across the city? The HSR Citizen Forum and the HSR Cyclists group, who struggled hard to activate the project over the last four years, are convinced that it definitely can.

Travel data analysis

But there are conditions. Launched in 2020 under the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)’s Sustainable Mobility Accord (SuMA), the HSR project could not have taken off without intense research, data collection and analysis, massive publicity campaigns and robust citizen participation. Government agencies such as DULT, BMTC, BBMP, citizens and activist volunteers had to coordinate and drive the action collectively.

“The learnings have been excellent in the way the structured project has been executed. It is possible to do this in other layouts if they follow a similar approach in terms of three years of a stepwise journey. Active citizen engagement from the locality is the secret recipe for success,” says Shashidhara K., founder of the HSR Cyclists group.

Citizen engagement

Citizens, he points out, know the pain points, the traffic jam areas, the turning radius at junctions, and the demand and supply. “They can sit together with the other stakeholders and design whole loops and decide on the types of buses. Then a trial run can be done for three months, loops readjusted if required,” he explains.

Lack of adequate buses, bus stops, low frequency and narrow local roads have left lakhs of Bengalureans to turn to either personal vehicles or expensive autorickshaws and cab rides for local commute. The HSR project has shown how a well-crafted feeder service with predictable schedules can make a big difference. But this did not happen in an instant.

As Jayanthi Srikanth from the HSR Citizen’s Forum recalls, preparations had begun during the pandemic. “We conducted scientifically designed surveys for different demographics. We had to ensure good representation from all sections, low economic groups and people with disabilities included. The extensive 20-25 minute survey was designed to understand the travel pattern of each family,” she informs.

In all, 1,023 people from 323 families were covered. “This was very valuable raw data of how people travel from point A to B, the different modes they use and what their primary mode and objective of transport were. Uploaded on the DULT website, this data showed public transport was almost zero in HSR Layout. Buses had very low frequency, and people had given up because they couldn’t wait for one hour. It was clear that 96% of the respondents wanted public transport,” Jayanthi elaborates.

Focus group discussions were held to enable qualitative data analysis. “We spoke to different groups to understand their pain points. Many older adults from low-income groups and garment factory workers would walk long distances on uneven, broken footpaths. Those working in IT firms, schools and colleges said they spent Rs 50 to 100 daily on autos or other modes. They would be happy if there were public transport.”

These preparatory studies and meetings were critical to designing a feeder network that worked for all sections. To replicate and scale up, understanding the ground reality is important. Mobility issues are common across the city, but local solutions mandate a sound understanding of specific localities.

Publicity campaigns

The massive publicity campaign that followed immediately after the launch of the feeder system was unprecedented in scale. Jayanthi explains, “For 67 days, we were on the ground campaigning in schools, colleges, temple gatherings, any place where people converged. We had selfie frames at events, walkathons, and street plays. Garbage pickup autos played our recorded messages, reaching all the houses for two full weeks.”

This bombardment had its desired effect. After a few days of initial curiosity, commuters started trickling in and grew in numbers. “Today, a lot of people who go to Agara from HSR Layout, like those from Parangipalya, Mangammanapalya, Somasundarapalya and other areas take this feeder service. A lot of start-up employees who come into HSR take the buses after getting down from long route buses at Agara. There are 18 stops, and they get to alight exactly at their office location,” says Shashidhara. Daily wage workers, student pass-holders, and Mitra Jyothi blind school students have all switched to this service now.

Will it be sustainable?

But will the network sustain over a longer time? Shashidhara is confident. “During peak hours, the demand is for three buses at each stop, especially at Salarpuria junction, Agara junction and Mangammanpalya. We see a lot of people waiting from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Considering the crowd and the amount of rides, we feel there is absolutely no question of the BMTC not earning profit from this service,” he notes.

The huge congestion on the Outer Ring Road has helped the service gain sustained ridership. An HSR Layout resident, Zahid, says people from the Iblur area, keen on avoiding the congested Silk Board Junction, take the service to get inside HSR and get onto Hosur Road ahead. But this is true only during peak hours, he adds. To sustain the system throughout the day, he recommends smaller buses that do not trigger congestion off the main roads.

Potential ‘Metro boost’

However, the dynamics could dramatically change once the Airport Metro line from Silk Board Junction is commissioned. “Once the station at HSR BDA Complex is opened, this feeder service will become a huge hit. This service looks almost in preparation for the Metro. When it starts within the next two years, even these 10 buses will not be enough,” he says.

Independent mobility consultant Sathya Arikutharam is certain that a fully functional feeder bus system will greatly help as the Metro expands. But he, too, feels minibuses and not the big BMTC vehicles should drive the system. If BMTC has no such buses, give that space to private operators, he says. “Carve up eight sectors of Bengaluru, and within each sector, give a service level requirement for buses at three-minute frequency. Even their fares can be regulated.”

As for BMTC, he says the corporation needs long overdue reforms to try localised commute using its depots. “There are eight or nine depots. If each focuses only on the area in its proximity, the entire timetable of BMTC can be recast. So, if you are in HSR, there will be more intra-layout buses. But if you are going out, say to Jayanagar, you catch a longer distance bus at a few interchange points,” he explains.

The localised commute would inevitably mean more interchanges while travelling. But, as Sathya puts it, “You will be able to travel both short and longer distances equally well and go into nooks and corners by buses only. That is how all big cities do.”