JOIN USHounded by hassles
There are many who say they don’t like travelling by public transport because of the number of problems they experience. As if these weren’t enough, the signboards displaying inadequate information on bus routes at some bus stops and buses leave the commuters clueless.
Metrolife spoke to the authorities and the general public to gauge the situation.
Authorities like the BMTC and BBMP are doing their bit to ease the problem.
Says a BMTC spokesperson, “Due to the huge infrastructural works taking place in the City, many bus stops have been shifted on a temporary basis. Moreover, many roads have been converted into one ways. As a result, the existing signboards and bus shelters have been removed. But we are working with the BBMP to ensure that signboards are erected at most places.”
But till then, people have to face this problem every time they travel by bus.
Says Nagendra Babu, a regular commuter, “At many bus stops, you do not find enough signboards indicating which bus to take in order to reach a place. And if you are new to the place, it becomes all the more confusing. Most of the time, the bus conductors are not co-operative and leave you in a fix.” Says Abhishek, a student who commutes by bus regularly, “Sometimes maps are displayed at the bus stops. These help passengers find out where exactly they are and how to get to a place by taking connecting buses. So one doesn’t have to rely on conductors or other people to reach his/her destination. But you do not find these maps at all places.”
This is especially true in some of the interior areas. The poor connectivity and lesser frequency of buses just compound the problem.
Nagendra adds, “In most far-off places, the frequency of buses is very low and one has to wait for almost an hour to get a bus. In such cases, if the bus stops display signboards regarding the time when the buses would arrive, it would be very helpful.”
Another commuter Changappa says, “Unlike the Volvos and Big10 buses, the ordinary BMTC buses display the destination only in Kannada.
If you are new to Bangalore and do not know the language, you are left at the mercy of the conductors and drivers, who sometimes can be very rude.”
There are others who have to go through this hassle every single day.
The solution lies in improving the infrastructure. Karthik B S agrees, “The BMTC buses should have boards both in English and Kannada for the convenience of people. With the help of technology, bus stops can have digital boards that indicate the bus route and destination a minute before the bus arrives at the stop. Tracking solutions can be employed to provide real time updates on bus locations to the commuters.”
However, far-fetched though it may seem, the BMTC should work towards making public transport more popular and accessible to the masses.