Get around

By metro The Bangalore Metro also known as "Namma Metro" ( our metro ) is a new rapid transit rail service that will cut down the time taken to get from one area of the city to the other. As of Feb 2014, only 2 stages are open for service (MG Road to Baiyappanahalli, convenient for MG Road to Indiranagar trips). Another from Sampige Road (Mantri Mall near Sheshadripuram )to Peenya Industrial Estate (Via Yeshwanthpur) opened in mid 2014.The rest of the network is still on construction and the entire first phase of the Metro comprising of 42.3km is scheduled to be opened to the public by the end of 2015.

By bus

Buses in Bangalore are cheap and usually frequent,(though compared to other states the fares are highest here) but traveling on them can be very difficult if you don't know the system well. Ordinary city buses display only the route number in English, with the destination and route information written in Kannada. This means you will have to know what route number you need before you get on, which you can find from the BMTC website [44],BMTCRoutes.in website [45], Desiroutes [46] bus routes,List of Metropolitan bus routes in Bangalore [47] or by asking locals. Unlike many Western countries, posted route maps of the bus system are rare, although maps are sold at the main bus terminals (Kempegowda Bus Stand and Shivajinagar). ☎ BMTC toll free 1800 425 1663. Bangalore Bus Route Search [48] also has a webpage with a route number search function.

Buses with black display boards run within the city. Red board buses covers long distance and go to adjoining suburbs. The ordinary city buses are white and blue in color. The newer city buses tend to be blue in color (Purchased under the JNNURM fund provided by Central govt. )and have LED display boards. There is a bus service called Pushpak with better seating; these buses are tan rather than the usual blue and are slightly more expensive. There are red Volvo buses, called Vajra, that operate on certain routes within the city. They offer a comfortable air-conditioned ride at slightly higher prices than the regular buses (which are not air-conditioned). These are a great way to get around the city. Unlike most other buses, the Vajras have illuminated LED display boards on the front and sides which display the destination and route information in English as well as Kannada.

New bus services are introduced from time to time by the BMTC. The latest service introduced in early 2009 known as Big 10 [49] consists of ten routes along major roads into the city, bringing passengers from the outer suburbs to central Bangalore. These buses are green in color, have LCD destination boards, and prominently feature the Big 10 logo on the sides. More information about these buses, including stops and route maps. BIG 10 service starts at Brigade road junction. There are also couple of buses which do a circular route around the Central Business District.

City buses are crowded during rush hours but one can travel with little difficulty during the daytime. Many have seats reserved for women in the front.Bus service starts around 5:00 AM and ends at around midnight. Bus service is less frequent after 9:30-10 AM and becomes very rare after 1:00 PM and again bus frequency improves after 4:00 PM and continues till midnight.

It is always better to buy a daily pass if you plan to travel the whole day on the bus. The daily pass costs Rs Rs 40 as of March 10th, 2011 and it comes handy if you need to travel on several buses in a single day. Daily passes are issued by the on-duty bus conductor or at the bus stand. Using this pass you can travel in any bus (other than the Vajra) for the entire day, any number of times. It is a very economical option for travel in Bangalore. Senior citizens are given 25% concession in all buses on production of valid ID card(Voter ID,PAN,Passport etc). children between age of 4-12 are given 50% concession. No charge for children up to 4 years of age.For more information on BMTC you can visit Wikipedia [50]

There are three major bus stands:

Kempegowda bus stand, also known as the Majestic Bus Stand, near Gandhi Nagar is directly opposite the Bangalore City railway station. It is quite neatly organized and is easily navigable. There is an inquiry office near platform number 1 on ‘Majestic’ where you can ask the bus number and platform for your desired destination. You can find a large map on display, which you can use to find the bus number you need to take if you know the area you are going to. You can of course always ask the conductor or other passengers. Route maps are also sold on the platforms.

City Market or K R Market is around 2 km (1.2 mi) to 3 km (1.8 mi) away from Majestic and could daunt newcomers, since it is very disorganized. It is a large dirt parking lot under an overhead highway, and there isn't much order to where buses park.

Shivajinagar is in the north. This is also neatly organized and there is an inquiry window to find about buses. You can find a large map on display here too, which you can use to find the bus number you need to take if you know the area you are going to. Route maps are also sold on the platforms.

Buses are available to all major localities of the city from these three bus stands. There have been lot of developments due to the ongoing metro project as well as efforts to decongest the city. BMTC is adding more bus stations all the time. Better to check on their website for latest situation.

NOTE: Autorickshaws and taxis in Bangalore have a metered fare system. Tipping is neither expected nor required when you avail of autorickshaw or taxi services. Just pay the meter fare. Refrain from tipping and ruining things for the residents who will then be at the receiving end of unwarranted demands for tips.

By Taxi

There are three types of taxi services operational in Bangalore.

Airport City Taxis: These are air conditioned sedans which are licenced by the Airport to primarily provide connectivity between the International Airport to the city. Although you can board these at the taxi queue at the airport, or occasionally hail them from the street, the most common way to use such a taxi is to make an advance booking. This is accomplished either by contacting the call centre of the airport taxi company, or by making an online booking. The Taxis are usually Renault Logans or Toyota Etios models and sport a 'Taxi' top-sign for easy identification. Fitted with speed governors and GPS tracked, these are by far the safest and best way to get around the city. The three companies which run these taxis are

Do note that these fleets are not particularly large, and while you can easily book a taxi to get to the airport, trips that do not involve the airport run (and which are for short distances) may get cancelled during peak hours. Taxis charge according to a standard digital meter at INR 80 for the first 4 kilometres, followed by INR19.50 per kilometre after that. A 10% surcharge is applicable between midnight to 6AM. A trip from the airport to CBD will cost around INR800-INR900.

Taxi Aggregators: The most common taxi service in Bangalore is Uber, along with a similar local service called Ola. Both can be operated by using a smartphone app that uses the phone GPS to locate your position and direct the nearest taxi to you. Both aggregators operate substantially large fleets, so a taxi can usually be hailed from anywhere within the city within 10-15 minutes at the maximum. While Uber in Bangalore can be operated through its international app, Ola also allows taxis to be booked through a call centre in addition to its app. Visit uber.com and olacabs.com.

Private Taxis: Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with Uber or Ola cabs, they are a most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin.

By auto-rickshaw

As compared to Uber and Ola cabs, three wheeled autorickshaws (similar to tuk-tuks in other countries) are cheaper for very short distances, and can be convenient when cabs are not available.

Auto-rickshaws are everywhere at most hours. They are green-and-yellow, or black-and-yellow three-wheeled contraptions. They are a fast way to get around the city.

Auto-rickshaws are supposed to charge fares as per the meter reading, which most often equals to Rs 15 x distance (in kilometres) (Minimum charge of Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km or less, with a 1.5x surge between 9PM and 6AM), they generally tend to charge on an ad-hoc basis depending on the distance of the destination, the chances of getting another customer from the mentioned locality, and their mood.

Usually, when hailed from the street, chances are that you can often come across an honest driver who agrees to use a meter without fuss. In the case where the meter is faulty or the driver refuses to use it, you should simply refuse to board. Saying "meter please" will usually do the trick. It gets more tricky when you are in front a big tourist attraction or transportation hub, as there will be hordes of auto-rickshaws waiting around who will try all they can to force you to use their service. Most of these drivers will refuse to use meter and ask for an exorbitantly overpriced rate. You should simply and firmly refuse them and walk away until you find an auto who agrees to use a meter. If this is not practical or you are simply too tired to deal with it or are in a hurry, counter-propose them an appropriate amount based on the distance of your destination. The driver will be likely to insist on his own price. Just walk away and chances are that he will give up and agree on your price faster than you thought.

Tourists should be cautious when approaching an auto-rickshaw during night, or during heavy rains. Chances are they will charge exorbitant rates. Help could be taken from the local traffic police to avail auto-rickshaws during such circumstances. If you are a visitor and do not know the route to the destination it is a good idea to bargain and fix the fare before boarding to avoid long, convoluted routes being used by the driver.

Another thing to keep in mind is to be firm but not loud in an argument while travelling in the auto. Some of the less reputable drivers may team up with their friends midway to cause problems. Remember that although Bangaloreans are known for their polite and mild mannered behavior, auto drivers are normally an exception. Some will think nothing of trying to rip you off. If in doubt, consult a local or your hotel travel desk.

If a rickshaw driver offers to show/drive you to some great places to shop, firmly refuse. A common tactic is to drive you to local shops where you will be pressured to buy Indian crafts that you probably don't want. Know your destination and insist upon it. Be firm.

Autos add a 50% surcharge after 10 PM (called "one and a half" and is the legal charge). Some drivers may demand 100% surcharge after 10 PM or 11 PM but you must refuse to board in such a case. Heavy luggage costs an additional fee of around Rs 10-20.

Rickshaw drivers are required by law to display their identification on the dashboard or the back of their seats. Refuse to get into a rickshaw that does not display one.

If an auto driver is problematic, note their identification number and report to the BBMP(Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation) Control room which is empowered to withdraw their auto license. This is a very effective technique to deal with them. The BBMP control room number as of December 2009 is ☎+91 80 22975803.

The minimum charge as of October 2015, is Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km and Rs 12 for every additional kilometer.

There is a new call an auto service started in Bangalore called Autowale, the number for that is 080-50661111

If you arrive in Bangalore via train, at the main train station there is an office near the taxis/auto-rickshaws which will print-out a pre-paid receipt for your ride. The service costs 1 Rs, but will save you a potentially large amount of money by giving you an accurate value for your ride. This also allows you to avoid haggling with the driver and acts as an official price agreement in the event that the driver wants to dispute the price of the ride.

By private car[edit]

Most taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers will be more than happy to offer you either a daily rate or an hourly rate, and take you around wherever you need to go. Alternately, your hotel or a travel company can arrange a private car.

If you find a good taxi or auto driver, this can be a great way to go for a foreigner. You'll certainly pay a lot more than if you bought individual rides, but you'll always have a driver waiting for you, and he can help with recommending local tourist sites, finding a good restaurant to eat at, and otherwise coping with day-to-day life. This can take a lot of the stress out of traveling.

Rates are generally something like Rs 50 to 100 per hour for an auto-rickshaw, and Rs 150 to 250 per hour for a taxi. Rates for a private car booked via the hotel will probably be more. Like everything else in India, rates are very fluid.

By bicycle

The weather in Bangalore is very pleasant, but the traffic is not. So if your plan is not to go towards crowded city, you can go around in a bicycle.

Velo in village, #A1, Owners Court, Kaswanahalli Main Road (off Sarjapura Road), (rentone@veloinvillage.com), [56]. Bicycle hire with a good range of rental bikes including; BTwin, RockRider, Merida, Giant and Orbea models.  edit

By Motorcycle

In Bangalore you can rent motorcycles and scooters. You will find a lot of places where you can rent motorcycles and scooter.

Dryve You can rent motorcycles and scooters from Dryve with hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rental packages.

roadpanda You can rent two wheelers (motorcycles and scooters) on hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis.

ZipHop You can rent motorcycles , scooters and cars from here. They have a number of options