Smoke, traffic jams, loud horns, cursing, stress and irritation – all these are very much part of the commute for all of us. While some people have started car pooling and some others cycle to work, there is a large majority who still depend on private transport.

BMTC has come a long way from its rickety, old, overflowing buses. The newer buses, some of them air conditioned, are rather comfortable and more frequent. All we need to do is make an effort to learn the routes and schedules of buses so that we can also make use of them – reduce traffic, pollution, global warming and a lot of the stress we feel.

One of the objectives of Bus Day is to see what service improvements BMTC can make to wean people away from private modes of transport onto buses. They have identified two IT corridors - Electronics City and Information Technology Park to launch the pilot Bus Day this month.

BMTC has been talking to a number of IT companies to persuade their employees to make Bus Day a success. On Bus Day, BMTC will operate buses at high frequency on these corridors. BMTC will also arrange for group pick-ups and drops for employees nearest to their destination.

The BMTC is waiting to see the response to this pilot programme. If it is a success, the programme will be extended to all major corridors in the city. And one day of the month will be observed as Bus Day.

So go ahead and do your bit for the environment and your city – use public transport this Bus Day and make it a habit to use public transport!