Most BMTC bus stops have no shelter in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Not long ago, a 30-year old man died due to electrocution near the Hebbal bus stand. The incident had occurred as the victim came in contact with an electric wire which was illegally drawn by a private advertising agency to illuminate an advertisement panel at the bus shelter. This casts light on poor maintenance of bus shelters and, even worse, the absence of bus shelters in Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India. With the arrival of the monsoon season, the problem will aggravated for commuters in the city.

Statistics reveal that there are about 2,212 bus stops out of which 1,006, less than 50 percent, have shelters for citizens, while the remaining 1206 are roofless, which means commuters waiting for buses have to bear the sweltering heat during summers and rain throughout the monsoon season.

Poor maintenance

Although there are bus shelters in several areas, daily commuters cannot utilise them as a result of poor maintenance. "Most of them are uninviting with broken, rusty benches, leaky roofs and the floor littered with garbage. For senior citizens it's nothing less than a nightmarish experience while waiting for their bus. If there are any clean and well-maintained bus shelters, they are so ill-designed that they are forced to get up to check if the bus bound for their destination is arriving," says a daily commuter.

A number of women who commute by bus on a daily basis say that they do not feel safe at night as several bus shelters are ill-lit. "Many isolated areas have bus shelters that lack lights and it can be difficult for women to stand in these desolate areas waiting for buses," laments a passenger.

Is this a bus stop?

It is impossible to know where the bus halts. "If an individual commutes by bus on a regular basis, she/he would be aware of where the bus stop is. However, if you're an occasional commuter, identifying the bus stop is out of the question as there are no signboards or bus shelters. Some buses halt at traffic signals or a few metres away from the designated stops. In some cases, bus stops are crowed with cabs and autos, forcing bus drivers to stop a few meters away. As a result, it's difficult for commuters to catch their bus, and a herculean task for elderly people," says Prakruthi, a regular commuter.

Lack of coordination between BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) causes hindrance to the public. "BBMP designates the exact location of a bus stop. However, the BMTC runs operates buses as per its own whims and fancies. Hence, there is no accountability," laments a BBMP official.

Citizens do not want any bus shelters in front of their property. "Several individuals do not want any bus shelters in front of their property. Apart from this, we also have to make sure that the bus shelters are not built in locations where BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) or BESCOM (Bangalore Electric Supply Company Limited) lines pass," he adds.

"Nevertheless 600 bus shelters have to be installed and BBMP is planning to construct 585 of them and the work is still in progress," he concludes.