Hubballi Dharwad BRTS (HDBRTS) and North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) started BRTS feeder buses named ‘Chigari Samparka’ yesterday.
On a pilot basis, NWKRTC has started operating feeder buses between Sutagatti and Navanagar. The bus will do a circuit with a frequency of 15 min each from 6:30 AM to 10 PM.
Route: Karnataka Circle, Basaveshwara Circle (Navanagar), Cancer Hospital, Navanagar, RTO BRTS Station, Karnataka State Law University, Amar Nagar, Sutagatti, and back in the same route.
Kudos to the planning team of the NWKRTC and HDBRTS, the bus has been conceptualized in such a way that it helps the hassle-free transfer of BRTS passengers to the nearby areas.
Most importantly, the bus has right-door deboarding just like HDBRTS buses. The passengers will be dropped off at the RTO BRTS station just like normal BRTS buses (More pictures attached at the end of the article).
Passengers can buy BRTS tickets from the feeder bus itself (that eliminates the trouble of buying a separate ticket at the BRTS station). The same ticket can be used to deboard at any of the BRTS stops.
Also, Passengers can buy a ticket to Navanagar/Sutagatti from any of the BRTS stops, deboard at the RTO station, and catch Feeder buses toward their destination on the feeder route.
The bus has face-to-face seating to accommodate more people. NWKRTC has also announced some discounts in fares for people opting ‘Chigari Samparka’ bus. The details are as follows.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to Dharwad New Bus Stand – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+22= 28₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 25₹, Discount: 3₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to Dharwad BRTS terminal/ Jubilee Circle – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+21= 27₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 24₹, Discount: 4₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to Gandhinagar, Dharwad – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+18= 24₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 20₹, Discount: 4₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to SDM Hospital – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+15= 21₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 17₹, Discount: 4₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to CBT, Hubballi or Hubballi Railway Station- City bus + BRTS fare: 6+20= 26₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 22₹, Discount: 4₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to Hubballi Old Bus Stand or HDMC – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+18= 24₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 20₹, Discount: 4₹.
- Navanagar/Sutagatti to KLE Technological University – City bus + BRTS fare: 6+16= 22₹, Chigari Samparka fare: 18₹, Discount: 4₹.
NWKRTC is likely to expand the feeder buses to other parts of the city based on demand. Some of the passengers have already spotted BRTS feeder buses on the Lingaraj Nagar route.
The bus built on Ashok Leyland ALPSV 4/185 chassis has been painted in Green and Purple livery (Green denotes the Feeder network and Purple denotes the BRTS network).
NWKRTC and HDBRTS have also announced that people having BRTS Monthly pass Smartcard will be allowed to travel for free in Feeder buses (Promotional offer only).