Bus stops sans charts, info boards

Officials of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are making all efforts to be the first in the technology lane. Yet it is unable to address basic issues like lack of information on buses and their schedules at bus stops.

According to BMTC commuters, most of the bus stops do not have shelters and even those which have them, only provide space for displaying advertisements.

They have become another medium for displaying products for the marketing companies. Those bus shelters that do not display advertisements are being used by political parties to put up posters and banners of leaders.

According to BMTC officials, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) constructs and maintains bus shelters. The BMTC has been repeatedly requesting the civic agency to provide space in the bus shelters to display boards informing about bus routes and their schedules.

However, all appeals have fallen on deaf ears.There as many as 7,000 bus stops in the City under the jurisdiction of BMTC, among which only 2,500 have shelters. The BBMP takes a call on the spot where the bus shelter is supposed to come up.

According to sources, visibility of adversitements is the ‘deciding factor’ for the construction of bus shelters, since it is advertisements that keep the BBMP’s cash registers ringing.

Bus shelters sport lights and panels to place hoardings and advertisements. But lack space for displaying bus charts and schedules.

Most of them are unscientifically designed and are located close to traffic signals. Since all vehicles halt at the traffic signals, the commuters find it difficult to get down at their stops.

Shaheen from the Bangalore Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) says, “It is okay for regular commuters who take a particular bus to reach their workplace and back home. But it is difficult for those who are travelling on a new route. They are totally clueless since the bus stops lack information on bus schedules and routes. It’s a herculean task for the visitors who are travelling by bus, to figure out which bus goes where, and their routes. Even the passengers in the bus are clueless about the bus numbers and routes, since there are no displays or charts inside the buses,” she said.

In the past, the BMTC had sent a proposal to the BBMP so that they can enter a Memorandum of Understanding to instal LED display boards and digital scroll boards. But for reasons better known to officials, the proposal was junked.

Speaking with Deccan Herald, BMTC Managing Director Ekroop Caur said, “We have requested the BBMP to either hand over the bus stops to the BMTC or maintain them, taking into consideration the requirements of the commuters. We are making efforts to find a solution to this problem and will soon work out a solution.”