Colour TV

Several years back when the BMTC was called BTS, there was a scheme wherein you could win a TV if your bus ticket contained the winning number. Basically the BTS bus ticket doubled up as a lottery ticket as well. And it was a "colour TV", no less!! This was perhaps a mechanism to make sure that the passengers actually collected the tickets. The proclivity of conductors to reissue used tickets was perhaps prevalent even then.

I distinctly remember waiting for my uncle who used to live with us and used to travel regularly by BTS. I would collect the ticket and wait for the next day's newspaper since that contained the details of the winning number. This was a very exciting time, though I never won a thing. I am sure every household in Bangalore had a similar story. A colour TV was a pretty big thing then.

I dont remember when I stopped doing this. Perhaps when my uncle set up his own home. Like so many other wonderful things of my childhood this too is just a hazy memory.

The Tricks

Picture this .

You are trying out BMTC. First day you get on the bus and approach the conductor for a ticket. You hand him a 10/- note. He smiles and hands you back 5/-. Taken aback at this civil gesture you happily take the 5/- and alight at your designated stop.

Conductor-1 You-0.

The ticket costs 8/-. He took 5/- from you and did not issue a ticket. High risks result in higher gains. But in this case the risks are yours and the gain is all his.

Next day, wisened by the past experiences, you ask him for a ticket (not caring for the smile). He issues you a ticket but does not give the change of 2/-. That amount is written at the back of the ticket for which you may approach him towards the end of the journey. You accept this as a genuine problem, after all everyone faces the problem of loose change. You later get down at your stop having had forgotten about the pending transaction.

Conductor-2 You-0.

The gain was his, there were no risks, but the loss of 2/- was all yours.

Third day, you remember to collect the change and hand the conductor the ticket with 2/- scrawled at the back. Defeated, he hands you the change. You'd think you won. Right?

No. You did not ask the conductor to return the ticket. He is going to reissue the same and start the game all over.

Conductor-3 You-0.

The loss was BMTC's and the gain entirely his.

Thinking why you fared badly? You are doing this for the first time, but the conductor is probably doing it for the 10th time(on that day).

BMTC Revenues

For the year 2007, the revenues reported by BMTC were 940 crores. The profits were 140 crores. That is a splendid result. Also, it is the only profit-making urban state transport undertaking. Contrast its performance with the Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which managed to better its last year performance by reducing its loss from Rs. 63 crore (2006-07) to Rs. 45 crore this year. DTC, Delhi posted a loss of Rs. 767 crore for 2006-2007.

Now for figures of another kind. I have noticed that some of the conductors on the BMTC buses manage to make some 'extra' money. On an average it would not be incorrect to assume that for every 10/- that the conductor collects on tickets (not passes), he makes 1/-. Now BMTC runs 5000 buses. So lets assume there are as many conductors as well. For the 940 crores revenues, assume that only 400 crores is by way of tickets. 10% of that is 40 crores. 40 crores divided by 5000 yields 80000/-. So that is the amount that is lost (or gained !) on every bus for a year. Not bad! No wonder, that the BMTC employees have not struck work for some time.

But, just imagine what the amount might be for DTC Delhi, that posted a loss of 767 crores. I do not have the revenues for that organisation. But might be a tidy figure.

Bye Pushpak

The pushpak buses that were introduced by BMTC several years back to provide better service to its customers seem to be dying a slow death. The recently introduced suvarna seems to be the newer and better version of the pushpak. One of my biggest grouses against the pushpak was the narrow aisle. This made entering and alighting difficult. The conductor too had a tough time, being unable to move swiftly from one end of the bus to the other. Just to convenience 15 extra people (courtesy the extra seats) they ended up inconveniencing all the passengers.

Today, we find that most of the pushpaks do not have a conductor. The driver doubles up as a conductor as well. This double role causes great discomfort to the passengers since the bus moves that much slower. Also the traffic behind the bus gets piled up. These buses can be converted to the "pass bus" where you do not purchase a ticket. Only the daily/monthly passes would be allowed. This reduces the burden on the driver.

But do the drivers like the dual role since it allows them to make some extra cash ?

Public Transport

Some months back when I was commuting to office, I noticed the office boy in the same bus as I was in. He too was standing, not having found a seat in the crowded bus. Being luckier than me, he soon found a place to sit. Sometime later he noticed me and offered to vacate the seat so that I may sit down. I promptly rejected the offer with a smile. We reached the office together not having had talked much for the rest of the journey.

But since that day I noticed he was pretty friendly towards me. It was not the usual "goodmorning sir". He would just smile and I would acknowledge it.

That set me thinking, perhaps the gap between us was just too wide earlier. In terms of education, social status, and many more things. But that chance encounter perhaps bridged that gap a bit. On the bus you are just a commuter, suffering together. There are no differences here. I got shoved, he got shoved. I travelled standing, he travelled standing. I got wet, he got wet. I got frustrated waiting for the bus, he too. Maybe if more people took to using the public transport we can do away with social inequity at least for a while. One place where every one is equal.

All organisations have a sports day or some equivalent. This is a day where everyone is equal and gets together. The foreman, the workers and the managers play together. This gets all employees closer and is highly encouraged. If we consider society as a "large" organisation do we have an equivalent? Public transport does come very close.

The BMTC blog

I have been travelling by public transport (BMTC in Bangalore) for close to 4 years now. Since I save close to an hour of driving time because of this, I thought to put it to good use. I will try to put down in words about my daily commuting experience. Anything that would relate to BMTC, its commuters, its employees and sometimes about myself.

Today while travelling, I was wondering how best to sell the the BMTC brand to "would be " commuters. Following seemed some of the options:-

1> BMTC, the gymnasium on wheels.
2> BMTC, the biggest predator on Bangalore roads.
3> BMTC, the society equaliser.
4> BMTC, the baby sleep machine. (you bet!)
5> BMTC, the recession transport.
6> BMTC, enhance your carbon credits.
7> BMTC, the tree saviour. (think!)