3,000 more buses, wider footpaths planned to boost public transport in Bengaluru: Maheshwar Rao

Greater Bengaluru Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao urged employers to encourage employees to use buses and metro through incentives. | Photo credit: MURALI KUMAR K.

Bengaluru plans to add nearly 3,000 buses to its public transport network while improving pedestrian and pedestrian access to encourage more people to use public transport, Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao said on Thursday.

Speaking at Mobility Symposium 2026, organized by MoveInSync, Mr Rao said: “Increasing the number of buses on the road and creating better pedestrian infrastructure have been among the city’s key mobility priorities. The most important thing is to increase the number of buses on the road. Our aim is to get close to 3,000 buses in the city.”

He stressed that improving public transport capacity alone would not be enough and called for wider footpaths and better pedestrian access to get commuters to bus stops and other public transport facilities. He also called on employers to encourage employees to use buses and subways through incentives and to work with technology park owners to improve public transportation accessibility.

Discussions also focused on preparing cities for climate-related disruptions. Mr. Rao called for a long-term approach to urban drainage in Bengaluru and outlined tentative plans to identify sites for public thermal shelters.

Sharath Bache Gowda, Member of Legislative Assembly from Hoskote and Chairman of KEONICS, emphasized the need to improve transport in the rapidly growing peripheries of Bengaluru. He called for the formalization of transport networks in satellite cities, pointing out that expensive and disorganized last-mile journeys between bus stations and homes could undermine the benefits of accessible public transport.

Published – 8 Oct 2026 22:38 IST