After restricting services during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is gradually increasing the number of AC bus services to the city’s international airport from different parts of Bengaluru. BMTC’s Vayu Vajra buses, which operate between Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and other parts of the state capital, had resumed services from July 31 after being stopped due to the lockdown during the second Covid-19 wave. A senior BMTC official was quoted in an IE report saying that the number of buses operated to Kempegowda International airport has been increased from 45 to 58 buses. Most of the fleet, however, is still not operational, the official said.
On Thursday, the corporation reintroduced seven air-conditioned buses on the route following public demand. With a total of 860 AC airport buses in its fleet, at present, BMTC is operating only 110 buses. The BMTC will keep increasing the number of operational buses as per the demand, the official added. Meanwhile, approximately 5,000 regular non-AC buses in Bengaluru are back on the roads. On April 27, the bus service to and from the airport had been suspended after the state of Karnataka went into its second Covid lockdown.
The BMTC, for passengers’ safety, had announced that tickets for buses plying between KIA and various parts of the city can be booked online. The corporation has also announced digital ticketing wherein commuters are allowed to use any UPI service to pay for the ticket using the QR code. The airport services of BMTC were shut on March 23 and were reopened on June 3. Vayu Vajra (Volvo air-conditioned buses) operated by the BMTC caters to several major locations in the city of Bengaluru. Also, it is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach the international airport. For a trip to Bengaluru International Airport, which is located in Devanahalli, on the city’s outskirts, the Vayu Vajra buses charge not more than an amount of Rs 336 (including GST), the report added.