BMTC buses on ORR carry your bikes too; cyclists thrilled

By Qamar ZJ

BMTC is one government organization in Bengaluru that is always trying out new things. While some measures might appear way ahead of their time, the effort is laudable. Take the idea of carrying cycles on buses on an external rig under the windshield. Nine years ago, some Volvo buses had this facility, but the idea did not work for lack of takers.

Today, the number of cyclists has gone up, and BMTC re-introduced this concept in August 2020 on 100 non-air conditioned buses along the Outer Ring Road. If successful, it will be applied elsewhere too, and perhaps two cycle stands at the rear of the bus. This is a good move, considering that there is going to be a 16-km cycle lane adjacent to the bus priority lane on Outer Ring Road from Silk Board and Lowry Memorial College.

The bikers are thrilled with the idea, but not so much about the safety of the cycles on such a rig. What if the bus driver applies sudden breaks or collides with another vehicle? Why not have such a facility inside the bus for foldable cycles in dedicated areas? Or how about having a system where the cycles trail the bus from behind?

While all these are ideas being floated by the cyclists, one biker had an immediate concern. “It looks like the hook will scratch the bike frame, unless it has some padding,” says Manish Kumar. The BMTC would do well to get this problem addressed before many more complaints are made on the strapping mechanism being employed now – it just requires a simple padding to the hook. One more biker suggested that the windshield should also be secured from the cycle’s handle bar. 

However, as a first step, many bikers have also fallen in love with the idea. That the BMTC does not charge a cent for the cycle transport is a bonus. “It’s a pretty cool rack,” says Nihal Thakkar. “It folds up against the front of the bus when not in use, and expands based on the size of the cycle. It has a hook which latches onto the cycle to secure it.”

Kaustav Kishore is mighty stoked by the idea too. “I am definitely sharing this as part of a discussion on how design thinking can better help in city planning,” he says. SS Chivate is happy that his long-standing demand in Pune is finally fulfilled in Bengaluru. “I had given this suggestion to Pune Cycling Plan some three years ago,” he says. “I always believe that this move will improve the adoption of bicycles for last mile connectivity.”

There are some dissenting voices too. “It’s useless, inefficient, and impractical for large cities,” says one disgruntled resident. “BMTC stops for so long and eats half of the road width already. Now you want to stop even more to load and unload bicycles? Ask these people to work remotely from villages and spare the city from garbage.” Agrees Dhiraj Batra: “It’s a worthless thing. We need more secure cycle tracks and lanes on every road.”