Bangalore

By Private Car

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 bus

Buses in Bengaluru 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 (http://www.bmtcinfo.com/,...) website (http://bmtcroutes.in/), Desiroutes (http://narasimhadatta.info) bus routes 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 (http://www.narasimhadatta...) 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 colour 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 (http://btis.in/big10) consists of ten routes along major roads into the city, bringing passengers from the outer suburbs to central Bengaluru. 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 CBD.

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 is less frequent after 9:30-10PM and becomes rare after 10:30PM.

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 Bengaluru. Senior citizens are given 25% concession in all buses on production of valid ID cardVoter ID,PAN,Passport etc. children between age of 4-12 are given 50% concession. No charge for children upto 4 years of age

There are three major bus stands:

Kempegowda bus stand

also known as the Majestic Bus Stand, near Gandhi Nagar is directly opposite the Bengaluru 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

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 sistuation.

Other important bus stands are:

Chandra Layout

West

Shantinagar

Central

Jayanagar

South

Banashankari

South

BTM Layout

South East

Vijaynagar

West

Malleswaram

North West

Yeshwantpur

North West

Domlur

East

Kadugodi

East

Hebbal

North

Vidyaranyapura

North

Srinagara

South West

Rajarajeshwari Nagar

South West

Basaveshwara Nagar

West

Yelahanka

North

Koramangala'

By Auto-Rickshaw

Auto-rickshaw drivers can be difficult to deal with. However, they're still better than their counterparts in Chennaias Chennai's auto drivers don't go by the meter.

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 11 x distance in kilometres Minimum charge of Rs 20 for the first 1.8 km or less, 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. You should simply refuse to board an auto where the meter is faulty or the driver refuses to use it. Saying "meter please" will usually do the trick.

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 behaviour, 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 10PM called "one and a half" and is the legal charge. Some drivers may demand 100% surcharge after 10PM or 11PM 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 Control room which is empowerd 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 March 2012, is Rs 20 for the first 2 km and Rs 11 for every additional kilometre.

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 taxi

The taxis in Bengaluru are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Maruti Omni Vans, Tata Indica cars or Mahindra Logan cars, which are much safer than Auto rickshaws, and the drivers are polite. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, you are strongly advised to choose this option, even though the rates will be double that of an auto. Most taxi companies will charge a flat rate of Rs 150 for a pick-up and drop from anywhere to anywhere within city limits. Waiting or return trips will be charged extra, as will a lot of heavy luggage.

Unlike many other countries, taxis are not marked with 'TAXI' signs on the top. Instead, the cars will be marked with the logo of the fleet operator or taxi company on the sides of the car. Some companies have a yellow sign with a identification number usually an alphabet followed by two digits on the top. Keep in mind that these taxis cannot be hailed from the street, but have to be called by telephone. When you call, you must give the operator your location, destination as well as phone number, who will in turn tell you the charge or will inform you that you must go by the meter as well as the taxi number. The taxi will come pick you up, and call you when they are close. When you go out on the street, look at the license plate for the number they gave you -- it will be the last four digits of the license plate. Alternatively, look for the yellow board atop the car with the taxi's identification number.

The license plate number is usually in the format "KA" followed by 01 to 05, followed by two alphabets, followed by a four digit number. Taxis generally have yellow license plates with black letters.

Be prepared to book a taxi a couple of hours in advance if required on weekdays, especially during rush hours, as a huge demand for the taxis, coupled with massive traffic jams during rush hours will ensure that it would be difficult for a taxi to reach you in time. Private taxis are generally more reliable during this time as in many cases, radio cabs run by Meru, EasyCabs, KSTDC and others will be overbooked and you might be unfortunate to be informed that your booking has been scrapped.

Although it can be hard for non-Indians to grasp at first, the system is actually very effective. If in doubt, ask a member of your hotel staff to help you, and when your taxi comes be sure to tip them Rs 35-Rs 40 for the assistance.

Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Bangalore can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies such as Avis (http://www.avis.co.in), Hertz (http://www.hertz.com) and Mototaxi (http://www.mototaxi.in), Olacabs (http://www.olacabs.com/ca...), Clear Car Rental (http://www.clearcarrental...),