KSRTC introduces city-wide bus pick-up points for the first time to ease CBD area congestion

Majestic Bus Station and its surrounding areas, particularly the Central Business District, often witness severe traffic congestion during festive seasons and extended holidays. | Photo Credit: File photo The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has introduced more designated bus pick-up points at 15 locations across Bengaluru to ease congestion at the Kempegowda Bus Station (KBS), Majestic, during the Deepavali festive season.Majestic Bus Station and its surrounding areas, particularly the Central Business District (CBD), often witness severe traffic congestion during festive seasons and extended holidays as thousands of commuters converge on the terminal to board buses. The situation becomes more challenging when additional special services are operated to accommodate the surge in passenger demand.To address the problem, KSRTC has started arranging buses from multiple locations across the city from Friday (November 6), enabling commuters to board services closer to their neighbourhoods instead of travelling to a central terminal, according to KSRTC officials.They said that commuters could book their tickets by selecting the pick-up point most convenient to them. The initiative is expected to reduce the number of buses entering the Majestic area and ease pressure on the surrounding road network.Commuter convenienceAn official said the arrangement would also improve commuter convenience, particularly for those travelling from distant parts of Bengaluru. “The city has expanded considerably, with residential and commercial areas spread across hundreds of square kilometres. Passengers from places such as Electronics City, Whitefield and Jayanagar often have to travel considerable distances to reach central bus terminals, sometimes carrying heavy luggage and travelling late at night,” official said.The KSRTC has traditionally operated its inter-city services from centralised terminals such as Kempegowda Bus Station, the Shanthinagar Bus Station and the Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Station. In contrast, private bus operators have increasingly offered multiple boarding points across the city to attract commuters who prefer to board closer to their homes.The new arrangement is also expected to make KSRTC services more competitive by offering a similar convenience to commuters, the official added.More special busesMeanwhile, the KSRTC has increased its special bus services across Karnataka to manage the additional commuter demand during the Deepavali holidays. Unlike previous years, when special services were largely concentrated on major destinations such as Mangaluru, Belagavi and Hubballi-Dharwad, the corporation is extending the services to several other destinations, including major towns and taluk centres. More than 2,000 special buses will be operated on Friday (November 6) and Saturday (November 7) to various destinations across the State, an official said. Published - November 06, 2026 06:20 pm IST