Letter to Editor (TOI): 12.3.06: Feeder services to Bangalore Metro

Dear Sir, It is heartening to note that our Honourable CM is thinking of feeder services to the proposed Bangalore Metro. To fully utilise the efficiency of the Metro and to overcome some of its limitations in terms of reach a feeder system is vital. This can be achieved by involving the BMTC and asking it to redesign the existing bus service network by making it more Metro centric. There could be 2 types of bus services- one could be the long distance Volvo services which will run along the ring roads and the second one could be the feeder services which start and terminate at Metro stations. For instance feeder buses could ply into interior Jayanagar from the Jayanagar Metro station. These feeder buses could be mini buses of the kind which BMTC currently uses for its grameena sarige service. The Metro stations should also have multistoryed car parking facilities where people can park their vehicles and take the Metro to the CBD area or to the other end of Bangalore. This should be facilitated by a smart card which allows the passenger to park and ride and top up the card via ATMs etc. The objective should clearly be to maximise the utilisation of the Metro and reduce congestion in the city thereby improving the quality of our lives. The above mentioned proposal is not rocket science and has been in existence for close to 15 years now in people friendly countries such as Singapore, the UK, Germany and other countries. Realignment of BMTC's transport network will definitely be a cheaper proposition rather than monorail.