Nearly three-fourths of commuters surveyed along Bengaluru’s Sarjapur Road are willing to pay higher fares for premium BMTC buses offering air-conditioning, guaranteed seating, Wi-Fi, fixed schedules and pre-booking, according to a mobility survey released in October. The findings come as construction of the Sarjapur Road Metro line is likely to begin within a year, potentially adding to congestion in south-east Bengaluru.
The SORT Bengaluru–BMTC Sarjapur Mobility Survey was conducted by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Save Our Sarjapur (SOS) to understand why commuters in one of the city’s most traffic-congested corridors are not using buses more widely. Of the 400 respondents, 73.1% said they would pay a premium for a corporate-style bus service with improved comfort and reliability. Another 19.1% said they might consider it.
The survey identified bus frequency as the strongest factor that could persuade commuters to shift to public transport. Other priorities included air-conditioned buses, real-time tracking through a bus application, easier ticketing and fewer transfers. Respondents also wanted a high probability of getting a seat, stops within 300 metres, easier interchange facilities, ergonomic shelters and skywalks.
Several gaps were identified in the existing network. The report said the bus application does not track buses towards Sarjapur reliably, while commuters also face missing frequency and a lack of air-conditioned services. The absence of a direct transfer between the Bellandur-Iblur junction on the Outer Ring Road and Bellandur Gate on Sarjapur Road forces passengers to walk about 1 km. Confusion over bus stops on Haralur Road was also reported.
The survey found that the corridor’s public transport demand is closely tied to office travel. Forty-three per cent of respondents said they travelled five days a week, while 30.2% travelled three days a week. The largest share of morning commuters, 36.3%, left home between 8 am and 9 am, followed by 30.5% who left between 7 am and 8 am. In the evening, the 4 pm to 5 pm and 5 pm to 6 pm periods each accounted for 22.9% of departures.
Hosa Road and Kasavanahalli formed the starting point for 37.6% of respondents, followed by Haralur Road at 25.6%. The most common destinations were the Outer Ring Road stretch between Iblur and Marathahalli, at 29.8%, and the ORR beyond Marathahalli, at 18.5%. The survey also recorded demand from commuters travelling to Koramangala, Whitefield, Electronics City and Banashankari-HSR.
Airport connectivity attracted particularly strong interest. Of 382 respondents, 91.9% said they would consider a premium KIA bus to the airport, while 82.2% would consider using such a service from the airport. The report recommends starting with one pre-bookable KIA bus as a pilot.
The proposed premium fares are Rs 100 for journeys under 10 km, Rs 150 for distances between 10 km and 20 km, and Rs 200 for trips longer than 20 km. The report recommends pilots on Hosa Road-Haralur Road via the ORR and on the Muthanallur-Dommasandra route, along with high-frequency AC services to Iblur.
Mukund Kumar of Save Our Sarjapura said the group had presented the survey summary to senior BMTC officials, who were receptive and keen to work with it. Joy VR, co-founder of the Sarjapura Residents Welfare Association, said real-time tracking and proper intervals between buses would help commuters. The survey report also identifies access to Eco World and internal connectivity to other technology parks as areas where bus coverage could be widened.
