You won't have to go blind in BMTC buses next year

Commuters who have long complained about virtually going blind by advertisements on glass panels inside BMTC buses can hopefully see the outside world next year.

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has decided not to renew the contracts for advertising on glass panels above the side windows. Nearly 4,000 buses have these advertisements, fetching the BMTC Rs 1 crore every month.

Two agencies had won the five-year advertising contract in September 2013. This means commuters have to wait till the last quarter of 2018 for the advertisements to be removed. “We have taken a bold decision in the interests of commuters. We have decided to limit the advertisements to the rear panels which won’t obstruct the views of commuters,” a BMTC official said.

Commuters have expressed frustration at travelling in BMTC buses with advertisements on glass panels. People unfamiliar with the places they are travelling to find it hard to know where they are at a given moment. For those from other towns, the experience can be harrowing as getting on a crowded BMTC bus is equal to being driven blindfolded.

Two BMTC conductors who work on the Kempegowda bus station route, where thousands of outsiders board the buses every day, said there had been many instances of passengers getting off the bus two or three stops after their destination.

“Not many buses have the public address system to alert passengers about upcoming stops. Some of us do alert passengers but when we forget, it leads to problems,” a conductor told DH.

Muniraju M, who travels every day from Malleswaram Circle to Jalahalli Cross, said even regular commuters found it hard to guess where the bus had reached. “In some buses, the side windows are so low that you have to bend down to see anything outside... It’s good the BMTC has decided to take off the advertisements. We hope the BMTC will give the convenience of passengers first priority,” he said.