06-05-2025
Book on Bengaluru bus stories released to showcase public transport in positive light
This week, Bengaluru witnessed the launch of a book chronicling the city's love for one of its lifelines: the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus.
Bengalurina Bussina Kathegalu (Bengaluru Bus Stories), a collection of stories of bus rides in the city, gathered by volunteers of NGO Samvada, was compiled into a book and launched on Monday. 'There is no single author for the book; it features contributions of various collaborators,' said Prajwal Nagesh, a postdoctoral researcher who worked on the compilation.
The event was held in partnership with EquiMob, the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, and Samvada.
'Instead of concentrating on the issues faced by BMTC buses, which people are already aware of, we aimed to highlight the positive aspects and show BMTC that many people appreciate using the buses and that they can significantly impact lives. This is the reason we created this book,' said Professor Dr Ajay Bailey, head of the department of human geography and spatial learning at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Funding for the project was received from Utrecht University, and Dr Bailey was the main collaborator.
The event began with volunteer Mamatha Gamana narrating her bus experiences, which led others in the room to recount their own stories. This was followed by volunteers reading anecdotes, which they had collected through interviews.
A volunteer shared a story about a bus passenger who loved the FM radio on the bus so much that if a song was playing and did not end before her stop, she would deliberately miss her stop to hear the entire song.
'People do not utilise public transportation, which leads to a lot of congestion in the city,' Alexander James, an environmentalist and retired lecturer from St Joseph's University, said. 'Instead of having 70 individuals on the road in their cars, it would be far more efficient for all of them to be on a bus. This would reduce road congestion and decrease pollution,' he explained.
