Blurb
Passengers travelling between Tumakuru and Bengaluru’s Electronics City say BMTC’s new direct Vistara AC service has cut travel time by up to an hour, eliminating multiple bus changes and making daily commutes far more convenient.
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BENGALURU
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) newly launched direct Vistara AC bus service between Tumakuru and Electronics City has emerged as a major relief for hundreds of daily commuters, particularly IT professionals, by offering a faster, seamless journey to Bengaluru’s technology hub.
The 101-km route via NICE Road, now the longest bus service operated by BMTC, has significantly reduced travel time by eliminating the need for multiple bus changes.
For commuters like K.N. Tejaswini, who has been travelling between Tumakuru and Electronics City for the past four years, the new service has transformed her daily routine.
“Earlier, travelling to Electronics City was a challenge. I had to board a KSRTC bus from Tumakuru to Arasinakunte, another bus to Madavara and then a BMTC bus to Electronics City via NICE Road. It was exhausting and time-consuming. Now, I can travel directly on a single bus and save nearly 45 minutes to an hour every day,” she said.
The service, launched on Monday, departs Tumakuru at 7.45 am and reaches Electronics City around 9.45 am. The return trip leaves Electronics City at 5.45 pm and arrives in Tumakuru by around 9 pm. The one-way fare has been fixed at ₹200.
Another commuter, Ajay Kumar, said the service was well suited to the work schedules of IT employees.
“Hundreds of people travel between Tumakuru and Electronics City every day. The evening service matches my office timings perfectly. Since there are only a few stops between Madavara and Tumakuru, the journey has become much quicker,” he said.
Passengers have urged BMTC to introduce similar direct services connecting Electronics City with other satellite towns, saying such routes would benefit thousands of employees working in Bengaluru’s IT corridor.
BMTC officials said the new service was introduced after the State government permitted the corporation to operate up to 40 km beyond the Greater Bengaluru Area boundary. The corporation has since expanded its Vistara AC network to connect Bengaluru with Tumakuru, Channapatna, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagara, Kanakapura and other nearby towns.
BOX | Longest BMTC route
BMTC Chief Traffic Manager (Operations) G.T. Prabhakar Reddy said the direct service was launched in response to sustained public demand.
“The ridership for the newly introduced AC service between Electronics City and Tumakuru has been encouraging. At 101 km, this is the longest route currently operated by BMTC, with a travel time of around three hours. Earlier, we introduced services on the Satellite Town Ring Road connecting Nelamangala and Hoskote over an 80-km stretch,” he said.
