Mysore/Mysuru: Lakhs of tax-payers’ money spent on construction of bus shelters at various places by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is going for a waste as these bus shelters are not being maintained and are now in dilapidated condition forcing bus commuters to wait for buses by standing under rain and sun.

Many bus shelters in the city are in bad shapes and filled with muck, cow dung and walls adorned with graffiti. They have been turned non-functional and their benches are all corroded or broken. Also, a few buses stop at make-shift stops or on the middle of the road.   

Though commuters pay taxes like everyone else and deserve basic infrastructure, they are always at risk of getting caught in rain or dealing with blistering heat and freezing cold as many bus shelters have been rendered useless. 

The bus shelter near Dattagalli Ring Road is ruined, another bus shelter opposite a milk booth at Ballal Circle and one more at Kanakadasanagar 3rd Stage are a few examples of bus shelters not being maintained and rendered useless now.

No bus shelters where buses regularly ply

Bus commuters said that there are no bus shelters at Bogadi Junction, True Value car showroom, Shankarnag Circle (near All India Institute of Speech and Hearing), Manasagangothri Guest House, Metropole Hotel Circle and other bus stops, where there are many bus commuters and added that there are no bus shelters on opposite sides at many places, forcing bus commuters to stand in sun.

Bus shelters constructed where buses do not ply

Ironically, there are a few bus shelters constructed on routes where buses do not ply. Mahesh, a resident of J.P. Nagar said that a hi-tech bus shelter was constructed by the MCC near a private hospital on Akkamahadevi Road in J.P. Nagar and added that the road has not seen a single bus till date. “This is a waste of taxpayers’ money,”  he said.

Though there is a bus shelter at J.P. Nagar last bus stop, it is rendered useless to commuters as the place in front of the bus shelter has turned into a commercial place with vendors selling vegetables on push carts. 

Ramesh and Santosh, regular bus commuters said that buses coming from Ballal Circle side and from Kuvempunagar, Sharadadevi Nagar stop opposite to Shyam Studio at K.G. Koppal. Though there is a bus shelter just a few feet away, buses do not stop at the shelter hence bus commuters do not use this bus shelter but stand waiting for buses near Shyam Studio.

A majority of bus shelters do not have bus bays. Buses stand right on the middle of the road, blocking traffic and endangering the lives of the people, especially in crowded places. Many bus shelters on arterial roads are used by street vendors after regular hours for sleeping. 

Ideally, bus stops are meant for the ease and comfort for commuters. Here, they are inconvenient and at the same time increases the risk of road accidents as commuters are forced to stand on the roads due to the pathetic state of some of the shelters. 

From their location to lack of necessary information, complaints about bus shelters in the city are endless. Intelligent Transport Solution (ITS) which provides bus numbers and their time of arrival are not displayed at many bus shelters, commuters say bus shelters have simply not been able to keep pace with the times. 

The lack of proper information at bus shelters has been a long standing problem. Commuters complain that they do not perform even basic functions resulting in drivers ignoring them and stopping buses at random. 

“The location of bus shelters in several places is not right and is leading to traffic jams. As many are in a dilapidated condition, we are forced to stand on the road, a little away from the pavement, and flag down passing buses,” a bus commuter said.

The public have urged the authorities concerned to construct bus shelters only where buses stop and also take steps for their periodical maintenance and stop wasting tax-payers’ money.