Decongesting Bengaluru: Bus user numbers must reach 70% for city to breathe free, says urban expert Ravichandar
Bengaluru's roads can be decongested only if 70% of its citizens shift to public transport, said urban expert V Ravichandar at the BCIC Leadership Summit 2025. He urged corporate leaders to promote metro expansion, increase BMTC buses, and support waste segregation. Speakers also stressed on corporate responsibility in reducing emissions and preserving the environment.
PTI Bengaluru's roads will be free of congestion only when 70% of citizens start using public transport, public spaces expert V Ravichandar said on Thursday.The number currently stood at 45%, he said, speaking on 'the City & Beyond: Future-ready leadership,' at the Bangalore Chamber of Industries & Commerce (BCIC) Leadership Summit 2025. "We also need to have more BMTC buses plying on the roads to replace private vehicles. The number of BMTC buses on Bengaluru roads have been stagnating at 6500 from the past 15 years. This number needs to double."He also urged the corporate leaders to start using public transport and contribute to Bengaluru's decongestion. On the city's traffic woes, Ravichandar said private cars and two-wheelers could coexist but as leaders "you have to push for public transport," he told corporate leaders. "You have to push for faster implementation of metro rail, you have to push for more buses of different sizes- small, mid and big. Get into public-private partnership, let BMTC own all buses' brand rights but find an efficient way using technology.'On the issue of waste management, he said corporate leaders of Bengaluru need to lead the way to solve the alarming garbage situation. "They need to support campaigns for garbage segregation for its effective disposal. It is a sorry state of affairs today to see garbage being dumped in the green outskirts of the city which is contributing towards polluting ground water in the outskirts."
Sustainability expert T Mahesh said industries need to be more responsible in preserving the environment. 'All significant industries need to reduce their Co2 emissions, particularly steel and cement industries."BCIC president Prashant Gokhale said the BCIC Leadership Forum was exclusively curated for C-suite leaders. It is designed to bring together senior business professionals on a common platform for experience sharing, team building, business best practices, and strategic networking. It is all about inspiration, he added. Retired IPS officer Gopal B Hosur, Mayafilms founder Maya Chandra, Kisankraft chairman Ravindra K. Agrawal, Homeland CEO Srikanth Iyer, and IIHM CEO Suborno Bose also spoke at the event.
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