BMTC inspects seven-metre buses as it plans 200 midi buses despite past record, revenue concerns

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has begun inspecting and evaluating different bus models as it explores the induction of 200 seven-metre midi/mini-buses to improve connectivity on narrow roads and in interior parts of the city.

The move comes at a time when the corporation has historically faced both safety concerns involving midi buses and financial challenges associated with operating smaller buses. BMTC is now examining suitable models as the demand for smaller vehicles grows, particularly for first- and last-mile connectivity to Namma Metro stations.

The latest exercise also follows Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh’s recent direction to deploy 200 mini-air-conditioned electric buses within a 5-km radius of Metro stations. The buses are intended to connect residential layouts and neighbourhoods that are difficult to serve with larger buses. The 200 mini-AC buses are part of the 4,500 electric buses being provided to BMTC under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme.