In spite of the need shelters are not being built, but there are many redundant shelters just for advt. hoardings.

If there are shelters at major locations like K.R.Puram separately according to destinations lot of congestion and chaos can be eliminated.

One more spot needing a shelter- The Domlur Bus stand is under renovation which may take a couple of years. Meanwhile no shelter is provided for the commuters who use this bus stand and have to stand in the open now in rain or shine.

K.V.Pathy

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 If there are shelters at major locations like K.R.Puram separately according to destinations lot of congestion and chaos can be eliminated.

Very good point. Despite there being a valid point that you cant generally cover 100% of the people in a shelter there has to be sensible attempts at providing coverage. Splitting destinations by shelters is a very common method followed across the world. I dont believe the solution is not having shelters, If there is land available nearby buses can be made to pull over into well constructed bays with common waiting areas (which is what a TTMC is) 

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 My motive in asking people to not blindly put up pictures from outside India just to compare is for people to improve.

Dont really get the point. I am surprised why some poeple try to prevent other people from posting pictures instead of trying to make their own point.

Nevertheless below picture is some destructive activity from a very disciplined society. One would think after the following incident happened authorities in that city would have removed all shelters terming the city as indisciplined and unworthy of any bus shelters or modern amenities.

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BBMP, BDA or BMTC, rain exposes them all, isn't it?

Saw this in Marathahhli too - waiting passengers had to get into the shops and restaurants to sve themselves from rain.

Was at Bannerughatta National Park today, was nice to see a few 365 (Volvos) as well as G-4 (Big10) parked and waiting. But no shelter for people from rain, for a place which serves as terminums for BMTC buses.

Pleny of examples. No point complaining further.

The point though is - who exactly is responsible for putting up and maintaining bus stops? BMTC pays, and BBMP or BDA build and maintain it? There must be something drastically wrong with the way it works

• BBMP manages bus stands for BMTC?
• Traffic police puts up signs (via the BTRAC project) for everything (tons of no parking signs) except the BMTC bus stands?

Why?

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 This division of labour is just nonsense in a lot of situations. It is further complicated because stakeholders and their roles in any activity are not clearly defined. Nothing works for the benefit of the common man, everything is done for the satisfaction of internal squabbles and one upmanship.

Bus stands can be built by BMTC but BBMP and traffic police needs to be in the workflow to approve. EVERY decision needs to be documented and put up for public viewing.

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More bus stories

Bad Routing

I have to take a bus from the BEL Road, get down at Sadashivanagar Police Station and walk a lot to get another bus to Shivajinagar,” she laments. “There are so many buses to Majestic but not a single one to Shivajinagar.” She adds, “There is not even a bus shelter in our area for the commuters to sit and wait for a bus.” 

The below map is for Indore city, what does it take to paste such maps for the routes that go through the stop.

Inadequate Bus information

 “Some times I take a bus from Mayo Hall on M G Road, but generally it’s so difficult to find a bus there. Quite often, I keep waiting for a bus, and end up taking an auto,”

What does it take to put such LED panels on the bus stops?

Basic facilities lacking

an employee of the Central Government travels from New BEL Road to the Indian Express Circle daily...  “There is not even a bus shelter in our area for the commuters to sit and wait for a bus.” 

What does it take to put up shelters in permanant stops?

Here is a simple map+schedule

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I have read the posts about the lack of public shelters at major bus stops. While I agree that a shelter should be provided, I believe it is a waste for the following reasons:

1 - People never use shelters until it starts raining. People inevitably trickle, and overflow onto the roads. Only when it rains do people feel the need to use a shelter. A possible response to this is, "If there is a sufficiently big shelter, people will not stand on the roads." My answer is that that is generally not feasible given the limited space that we have in most of Bengaluru. Encroachment, refusing to sell space for construction of public amenities and so on are the main problems.

2 - Even if a shelter big enough for say, 50 people, is provided, there won't be any queue discipline. I am speaking out of my observation of almost every public place. The people in the last parts of the shelter will always look to jump spots or come out and wait for the bus so that they can get to board the bus at the earliest. Now people who were waiting there before these aren't just going to sit and accept it. They'll come out and wait too. Rain only brings about the 'discipline' in people.

3 - As for maps, true there should be maps. I'm not sure they'll be safe though. So long as people won't scribble "xyz lovesss abc" or "Jai %$#*@" it is worth investing on maps at stops.

I'm not a cynic but for those who have posted pictures of Bus stops or buses from outside India, should also know that in those places, people are not so indisciplined and destructive. I am presently living in Chicago. They have shelters at almost (not all) all stops. The shelter are small, accommodating about 6 to 10 people. But then the population is so less that such a size is sufficient. For stops where there is more crowd, shelters are the same size but the footpaths are big and people trickle but remain in the footpaths.

People, please change and become more disciplined. And yeah surely we deserve shelters and many more amenities. By all means request for one, but when comparing with different places, look at how the public there is, too!

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 those who have posted pictures of Bus stops or buses from outside India, should also know that in those places, people are not so indisciplined and destructive

Since it offends people to see shelters from other countries, here is a shelter from Bangalore. Yes it was built for the same indisciplined citizens, and yes, it has been proven feasible to build such bus shelters in Bangalore. Since the shelters are still standing along with the advertisement posters in the background, I am hopeful the maps put up for the same citizens will too. 

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I'm not sure the topics should be taken to a personal level as was seeming in the previous reply because I believe everyone's aim here is to improve their cities and contribute positively. No one (me) was/is offended as much by the pictures as by the reply. My motive in asking people to not blindly put up pictures from outside India just to compare is for people to improve. It'd please me more than anyone to know that our cities/people are developing.

Few interesting points to note in this discussion overall, because of which, I still maintain my ground:

1 - This is Domlur bus stop on the Airport road (towards Command Hospital). There is not as much crowd here as there is at other stops, esp the ones where people complained of lack of shelter. K R Puram is a bigger scale bus stop (population supported, routes supported). So going by this bus stop where people, even if there is less crowd, are more 'friendly', we can't extrapolate and say it'll work for K R Puram, say.

2 - The feasibility of maps wasn't disputed. The word was used for having a sufficiently big shelter for stops like K R Puram. I'd be interested to know the availability of space for a shelter to cover at least 20 people and a footpath. My house is in Kaggadaspura and I have been familiar with these issues for more than 5 years.

I am hoping that Metro will take a major load off the roads. Our buses cant take it anymore I feel. Unless we have a miraculous change in road space availability, we can't just bank on buses and frequency of buses for Mass transit.

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Raingod sir, sorry to say this, but "our people need to be more disciplined" excuse mostly comes from either NRIs or Bureaucrats.

There are plenty of examples of decent bus shelters that are in use around Bangalore. And there are cities in India where people queue up at bus stands.

The "people are not good enough" thing is also a function of what furniture and signage you have put up to induce them. Yes, its always a chicken and egg, so our arguments can be never-ending.

However, I don't think many will agree with your statement that Bus'es can't carry Bangalore. Don't know if you are familiar with various issues - most of them low hanging fruits - around bus system in our city, but most experts agree that without fixing those bus system issues, even Metro is likely to fail - as in it would carry far lower numbers than projected.

And lack of basic bus transportation amenities is one big reason. Please join us in asking for it.

Now, to get out of the critic mode, and in praja mode - why is it that some roads have good bus shelters, but some roads or areas don't? Is it because:

• No single body is responsible for these amenities?
• KR Puram spot mentioned here is NHAI road, neither BBMP nor BDA, and the lack of responsibility issue plays out in much bigger way here?
• Could it be that money was spent on building a bus shelter, and we never bothered to check how the money was spent?

These are workable things, our indisciplene etc are not. Not that you are not right on somethings you said, but somethings have to come first, thats all.

Please do drop a mail to BBMP and BMTC asking about bus shelters at KR Puram. Worth to see their response at least.

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Why is that land can be acquired for road widening project to get redundant extra lanes for a few hundred meters, but not for building shelters?

The mindset has been on increasing road throughput, and not public transport amenities. There are plenty of examples around the city. I will post a live example of this mindset from Marathahalli pretty soon.

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Not sure why we start with this assumption that "why have bus shelters - people will anyway not use them".   Why should a person waiting for a bus have to suffer?  Just look at people waiting at Hebbal flyover for a bus or along NH7.  If some people want to stand in the sun or rain, up to them.  But this as much a nice-to-have as tarred roads.

WIll give you one more example.  The other night, my wife was returning from Brookefields and as it was raining asked me to pick her up from Jayanagar (she was taking a 500K/N Volvo).   So I reached 46th cross and just after Cafe Coffee Day (near the 11th Main/46th Cross intersection) there was a nice well lit bus stop.  So I went past it and saw no one.  I assumed that it was just that - no one waiting.  I assumed she had not reached and so went 50m ahead and waited for a Volvo.  A few mins and still no sign. 

Then I saw all buses stopping further ahead at 9th Main.  No shelter nothing.  Then I saw her walking towards the car and went and picked her up.  Why was this bus-stop in disuse?  I don't know.

How does one know where a bus stops - there will be one rickety tin board that says BMTC Stop. 

Srivathsa

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I did read all your messages the final point with regard to NHAI Road i would like clarify. At KR Puram bus stand buses are parked at 2 places one on the main road & the other in an empty land beside the road. This land can be devleoped as a small TTMC for both the buses starting from KR Puram towards City, buses from  city exiting towards Hoskote,etc. This will not put commuters to a hardship to stand in the middle of the road towards hoskote. or they could adopt a Bus Bay concept for the commuters safety & also buses parked in a right manner as this this is an exit point for Highway traffice you will notice a lot of Trucks, Private buses, Out station going traffic.

Please note one important point it its few meters(100meters) from the Bus Stand is a Major Bus Depot of BMTC Depot No. 29 for officals also to note the hardship the commuters are put to. This is the most worring point as its happening right underthere nose. KR Puram is also close to Depot No. 24 ITI Land. Why are the officals not taking note of these points. Even the Pass Counter is on the road here.

BMTC Staff needs to wake up.

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 Here is a simple bus terminal capable of providing shelter to lot of passengers as well as taking in many buses. One long bus bay along the service road also can be used for this purpose. Bus stands need not necessarily mean small shelters. 

Here is another one where a small plot of land off the road has been converted into a bus stand with quick entry and exit.

Where there is a will there is a way

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Where there is a will there is a way and where there are excuses there will be a million of them :).

Don't have to go very far to see a decent bus shelter.  See Saidapet on Mount Road in Madras.

If you take out the crap like Worshipful Mayor and other sycophantic stuff, this is an excellent low cost bus shelter. 

And as IDS said - one can split busstops to avoid crowding. 

Srivathsa

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[This comment has been moved here]

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Wait for bus shelters ends

The BBMP has written to the BMTC, handing over ownership of the bus shelters and with it, the task of creating new shelters.

...Though the written communication is yet to be given, oral confirmation has already brought in relief for BMTC.

...Sources in BBMP markets department confirmed this deal. “This is in agreement with what the BMTC had suggested. The city now has about 650 bus shelters now operated on a BOOT (Build- Operate-Own- Transfer) mode on a fiveyear contract. About 288 will be ready in four months. 

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BMTC Bus Shelters
It is heartening that BMTC will now own the Bus shelters (TOI- 18th Dec.).
Let them construct the shelters conforming to IRC norms after consulting the Traffic Police and the Commuters using the respective shelters/bus stops.

The existing shelters also may be renovated instead of demolishing them.
Shelters are badly needed at the following locations-
1. Domlur Bus Stand (which is under renovation and likely to take several months).
2.On Old Madras Road opp. to Indiranagar BMTC Depot (towards K.R.Puram).
3. Ulsoor Bus stops in both directions.
4.HAL II Stage 100ft. road at Doopanahalli towards Ulsoor.
 
K.V.Pathy

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