Bengaluru’s open-top ‘Ambaari’ buses ready for pre-wedding shoots, birthday parties

To ensure smooth traffic flow, KSTDC has set specific operational guidelines for private bookings. “If a birthday celebration is booked, the bus will pause briefly at a designated stop for the cake-cutting before resuming its route. Pre-wedding shoots can also be conducted at specified locations. The bus will only halt at designated parking spaces along its existing route and will not stop mid-road during heavy traffic,” a senior  KSTDC  officer said.

The hop-on, hop-off service was originally introduced to highlight heritage sites and popular destinations within Bengaluru’s Central Business District (CBD). The circuit covers major landmarks including Ravindra Kalakshetra, Corporation Circle, Hudson Circle, Kasturba Road, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, General Post Office, Karnataka High Court, Vidhana Soudha, and KR Circle.

Hiring the ‘Ambaari’ bus for five hours on weekdays costs Rs 26,000, while full-day rentals go up to Rs 32,000. Weekend rentals will be slightly higher, with the corresponding charges at Rs 28,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. For pre-wedding and other photoshoots, the charge is Rs 12,000 for two hours on weekdays, rising to Rs 16,000 on weekends. Each additional hour will cost Rs 6,000 on weekdays and Rs 7,000 on weekends.

Launched in January to boost tourism across the capital, the buses are already being leased for film shoots, according to tourism department officials.

The lower-than-expected response to daily sightseeing rides has reportedly prompted KSTDC to explore private bookings for the ‘Ambaari’ buses. An officer said the four buses in operation have recorded around 20,700 passengers since their launch on January 21, averaging nearly 100 passengers a day. However, the corporation had expected daily ridership to reach 300-400 passengers.

Even in the past, Bengaluru had come up with such double-decker tourist-friendly services. Each bus features 20 fully air-conditioned seats on the lower deck, alongside open-air seating on the upper deck. Regular ticket prices for standard sightseeing tours start at Rs 180 per person.

According to the officials, these buses often witness crowds on weekends and are more crowded on the upper deck than the lower deck.

Till 1997, the double-decker buses were a common sight in Bengaluru. They were later withdrawn due to maintenance issues.

The Ambaari buses that ply in Mysuru have been a massive hit during Dasara.