By bus
If you have difficulty in arranging a plane or railway ticket to your next destination, or you prefer a little more adventure, you can go by bus. There are both government and private buses that run services to major cities like Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirupati, Hyderabad, etc. Buses can be a normal luxury bus, a Volvo A/C bus or a sleeper bus for night travel.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation
(http://ksrtc.in/)KPN Travels
(http://kpntravels.in/)Durgamba Motors
(http://www.durgamba.com/)Bangalore Bus Tickets Online
(http://www.thebus.in/)All intercity buses arrive and depart from Bengaluru bus stand, which is located opposite the Bengaluru city railway station. The bus station is named after the founder of Bengaluru,
Kempegowda Bus Station
is more commonly known as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation KSRTC bus stand or the Majestic Bus Station. It handles buses that connect Bengaluru to all major cities and states in south India.Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)
maintains bus services within Bengaluru. The main bus stand is located next to the Kempegowda Bus Station.Unlike other metros, the display boards in the bus show the destination in the local language Kannada. But the bus numbers are mostly in English. If you don't speak Kannada, you will likely need to get some help to get on the right bus. However, the newer Volvo buses are all equipped with electronic displays that display the destination and route numbers in both Kannada and English. Non-Volvo buses are being gradually retrofitted with these electronic displays; this should make bus travel much simpler if you are unfamiliar with the local language.
By train
The Bangalore Metro is a new suburban rail service that will cut down the time taken to get from one area of the city to the other.
Bengaluru has two major railway terminals. The Bengaluru City IR station code: SBC railway station is situated in the heart of the city, opposite the Majestic Bus stand. Most trains, both local and long-distance, arrive and depart from here. The other terminal is Yeswantpur Junction IR station code: YPR located on NH-4 Tumkur Road. A few mostly long-distance trains arrive and depart from here. Two smaller railway terminals are Bengaluru East IR station code: BNCE and Bengaluru Cantonment IR station code: BNC.Of late Krishnarajapuram KJM has become an important stop owing to proximity of IT companies and the ring road just passing close to the station and well connected by buses to major parts. It also forms the 1st stop for majority trains leaving Yeshvantapur towards Jolarpettai.
Bookings can be done at either the railway stations or at the Indian Railways booking counters located in major commercial residential areas. Booking can also be done online (http://www.irctc.co.in). Note that if you are booking at Bengaluru City and are traveling to Mysore, there is a separate counter for travellers to Mysore. This is to cater for the large amount of travelers between Bengaluru and Mysore. If travelling to Mysore on a Sunday afternoon, arrive early as there is usually a long line for buying tickets.
As with all Indian railway travel, have some patience for delays. Trains are usually on time within 20 mins of scheduled time, but can sometimes be late. A digital departure board in the station will tell you what platform your train is on and what time it leaves.
Train travel is usually fairly cheap. For example, a ticket to Chennai, about 360 km 5-6 hr away, costs anywhere from Rs 125 for the lowest class to Rs 1,105 for the highest class.
For train arrival/departure and PNR status inquiries at various railway stations at Bengaluru, call 139.
Travelling from Mumbai to Bengaluru by train takes a long time 24 hrs or so. Buses are comparatively faster and take 18-20 hrs, provided there are no traffic jams in Mumbai and Pune enroute. Effective travel time by both train or bus is long. Air travel is recommended for traveling between Mumbai and Bengaluru, the duration of which is about 90 min. Low cost airlines charge the same fare as A/C train or Volvo bus. However, sleeper class non-A/C train travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru is economical and you can have a view of some lush evergreen forests and river valleys across Western India.
Also see Rail travel in India
By car
Driving in India can be very stressful. Lane discipline is practically nonexistent, excessive honking, high vehicle density, lack of regard for traffic law, combined with razor thin passing margins are common. One ride in a taxi will most likely convince you that driving yourself is not worth the risk, so if you do want to arrive by car, you will probably want to hire both a car and a driver. Cost varies, but most car/driver combinations cost Rs 1,400-1,700/day. The fares for hired private taxis are usually in the multiples of 4 hr/40 km, fares for which start at around Rs 450 for a non-air conditioned small car. Depending on where you are coming from, you may be able to negotiate a lower fare if the trip isn't far, and it may be a higher fare if you are traveling far and your driver has to travel back on his own time. Having an approximate idea of the fare or distance beforehand and persistent bargaining skills can lead to significant savings. Although it costs more, consider requesting an air conditioned car if you aren't used to the heat, especially in summer. An air conditioned car will also help filter out the air pollution, which is considerable, especially on congested roadways. If you want something even more special, such as a fancy car or SUV, be prepared to pay extra.