Route information at all bus shelters soon: BMTC

Route information at all bus shelters soon: BMTC
Praveen Dhaneshkar, Bangalore, DH News Service:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 12:00 [IST]


With complaints about Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses not parking at designated bus shelters in the City continuing to surface throughout the year and commuters complaining of lack of adequate route signage boards at shelters, what steps the State run undertaking is taking to rectify the problem?
Deccan Herald posed this question to senior officials of BMTC who replied that drivers have been instructed to stop at designated bus stops/shelters in view of the menace growing manifold.

“The Sarathy mobile squads have been increased to 11 and are on the job for routine checks to check buses haphazardly parking at places other than designated stops. Inspectors from the squads instruct drivers to adhere to instructions. It is a joint effort by us and the traffic police. But, the problem does gets compounded with some drivers not following instructions. Sometimes it is also due to private maxicabs and factory buses parking at shelters meant for BMTC buses. The problem is also due to commuters themselves standing away from the bus shelters,” explained the official.

Infrastructure works

On the question of inadequate route number signage boards at bus stops across the City, BMTC says 152 route information signage boards have been erected in the last two to three months at all existing and new bus stops and more would follow, after ongoing infrastructure works are completed.

“During the last two years, huge infrastructure works have begun in the City by BMRCL and BBMP. This has resulted in bus stops being shifted on a temporary basis. Adding to this, many roads have been converted into one ways and many others are being widened. As a result the existing signboads and bus shelters have been removed to make way for infrastructure. The BBMP is responsible for building bus shelters at places identified by the BMTC in coordination with the Bangalore City Traffic Police (BCTP). Once, the BBMP earmarks adequate space on roads and builds bus shelters we are ready to provide proper route signboards,” added the BMTC official.

It may be recalled that the BMTC had in 2005 displayed route information boards/maps in Kannada and English at all ‘Movva Associates’ bus shelters, a company that had been awarded the tender for advertisement rights of BBMP bus shelters in the City. These maps were pasted on stands put up next to modern hi-tech bus shelters in the city that had been built more than three years ago. It was prepared by Integra Systems and Services, a city based organisation for the benefit for commuters. However, many of the bus shelters where the map was displayed, became dysfunctional as roads were made one ways. These colour coded maps had a big encircled bus symbol and an arrow indicating ‘You are here’ prominently displayed at these bus shelters. However, only a few of them exist today.