Passengers left in the lurch

Water-clogged roads, dangerous puddles at every corner and long traffic jams — monsoon miseries on the streets seem to not end just here. For passengers taking BMTC buses, there’s more in store.

Not only do they have to battle with time to make it to the stop before their bus takes off, they also have the herculean task of finding shelter during a downpour, especially in the evenings. KR Market, one of the busiest bus stops in the City, is an example of a stop that doesn’t have shelter. Here, commuters are inconvenienced because buses don’t always stop at the demarcated places.

While some KR Market-bound buses stop in front of Victoria Hospital signal before taking a turn, buses going to further destinations fail to stop. With buses making stops on request, commuters also get on a distance from the bus stand, which adds to the chaos.

Apart from this, a few bus stops located near busy junctions are not monitored, says P Kumar, a resident of Katriguppe. “Bus stops near Ramakrishna Ashram Circle, Nayandahalli and National College (Basavanagudi) are disorganised. Though they all connect to one of the City’s main bus stops — KR Market — they lack basic amenities like shelter and are located very close to schools and colleges. They are particularly dangerous during peak hours as there is no traffic policeman to monitor the traffic.”

Not very far from the City centre, passengers in Chikkalsandra too face similar problems. Shreya H, a student who travels by bus, says, “The Shanaishwara bus stop near Uttarahalli is just a few metres away from the Chikkalsandra bus stand. It is one of the major bus stops in the locality, but has no shelter. Also, the bus stop is right at a crossroad which connects to three different locations — Banashankari, Padamanabhanagar and Kengeri. However, there is no shelter for passengers except a tree, which does not always come to our rescue.”

 It isn’t just prominent areas in the City. In suburbs, too, passengers are left in a lurch. Adding to the woes here is the Metro construction work. Nivedhita, a resident of Konankunte, says, “Since the Metro work is in progress, many buses, especially the ones going towards KR Market and Majestic, do not stop. If questioned, they respond rudely.

It is extremely difficult when it starts to rain as the bus stop has no shelter.” When contacted, Veeregowda GN, general manager (traffic), BMTC, says, “The BBMP is responsible for providing shelters. We do not have a role in this.” According to an official with the BBMP, among many raising concerns, the crucial one is that the City is growing vertically, unlike Delhi and Hyderabad, which are growing horizontally. Also, many roads, even at major junctions, are too congested to build shelters. Passengers can now only hope that the BBMP will take serious note of the situation and provide some solution.