Bengaluru Commuters May Soon Track BMTC Buses Through Cab Apps

Bengaluru commuters could soon find it easier to combine cab rides with public transport. The Karnataka Transport Department is working on a plan to share BMTC live bus tracking information with private mobility platforms used across the city.

Transport Minister Bairathi Suresh has directed officials to explore sharing BMTC real time bus data with app based services such as Ola, Uber, Namma Yatri and Rapido. The direction was issued during a meeting with senior officials from the Transport Department, KSRTC and BMTC at Vidhana Soudha.

The proposed integration could be useful for people who use a cab or auto for one part of their journey and depend on a BMTC bus for the remaining distance. Once the system is implemented, passengers could check whether a bus is available near their location before continuing their journey.

The idea is aimed at making different modes of transport work together more smoothly. Instead of checking a separate application after getting out of a cab, commuters could potentially access BMTC bus movement information through the mobility platform they are already using.

Real time information could be particularly useful in Bengaluru, where traffic conditions often make travel times unpredictable. Knowing the location of an approaching bus may help passengers make better decisions about their onward journey.

The transport department has also asked BMTC to strengthen connectivity around the city’s metro network. The corporation has been directed to deploy 200 small air conditioned electric buses at metro stations across Bengaluru.

These buses are expected to operate within a five kilometre radius of metro stations. The objective is to provide easier last mile connectivity for people travelling between metro stations, residential neighbourhoods and areas on the outskirts of the city.

The proposed electric buses will be part of the larger fleet being procured by BMTC under the central government’s PM E Drive scheme. BMTC is purchasing 4,500 electric buses under the programme, according to the information shared by the department.

The smaller buses are expected to be especially useful on roads where larger buses may not be the most convenient option. By connecting residential areas with metro stations, the service could make metro travel more practical for commuters who currently find the first or last part of their journey difficult.

The government is also looking at improving public transport options for employees working in Bengaluru’s IT and technology companies. BMTC has been asked to provide more air conditioned buses for this section of the workforce.

Officials have been instructed to hold discussions with IT and technology companies to understand their transport requirements. The aim is to examine how BMTC services can better serve employees travelling to major technology hubs across the city.

Taken together, the proposals focus on improving connectivity between different forms of urban transport. Better access to BMTC information through private mobility apps, smaller electric buses around metro stations and additional air conditioned services could give commuters more choices.

For Bengaluru residents, the biggest change could come from having transport information available in one place. If the proposed data sharing system is implemented, a passenger finishing a cab journey could check nearby BMTC services without having to rely only on separate searches.

The plans are still dependent on implementation and coordination between BMTC, the Transport Department and private mobility platforms. Further details about the data sharing system and the rollout schedule are expected as officials work on the proposal.