KOCHI: Bus stops were built to streamline how buses pick up and drop passengers, to ensure their safety and safe movement of traffic. But most of the bus stops in the city have been rendered useless as private buses make stops as they please. Sometimes, they even wait on busy junctions during peak traffic hours for passengers to arrive, causing inconvenience to motorists and commuters alike.
In places like Lisie junction, Kacheripady, High Court junction and South railway station, buses stop at the wrong places — sometimes ahead of the stop or before it. This regularly leads to traffic blocks, especially during peak hours.
Though traffic police officials are posted in these areas, they hardly take any steps to make sure commuters wait at designated bus stops and buses stop there.
“Once in a while, the buses stop at the Kacheripady bus stop. Else, they halt next to the turning leading to the KSRTC bus stand. Where are we supposed to wait? The buses stop according to their convenience, and we move accordingly, “said Thomas Varghese, a passenger.
Commuters pick convenience
The haphazard halting of speeding private buses is also leading to accidents on the road. People waiting at the turning of the High Court junction for the bus towards Kaloor said this spot makes it convenient for passengers coming from the Vypeen area to board the bus. “The bus stop is a little far. By the time I get down from the bus and start walking to the bus stop, I would have already missed a couple of buses. The buses stop here, and it’s convenient to board them from here,” said Valsala, a domestic help.“We stop at bus stops and also take people who are waiting along the way. After all, it is the total collection that matters to us,” said Rajan, a bus conductor. “We stop the bus if we see a passenger by the road,” he added.
Special drive
A traffic police official said a special drive to check speeding private buses and their uncharted stops has been initiated. “We are conducting a special drive to identify the buses that are stopping on the way and picking up passengers. Both drivers and passengers will be given warnings in the beginning. If they continue, they will be charged a fine,” said C K Nazar, CI, Traffic Police (West). “The problem can be solved easily if police officials intervene and ask passengers to wait at bus stops. Instead, they allow them to wait wherever, knowing that we will stop to pick them up,” said a bus driver.
Separate stops
Bus operators in the city have suggested creating separate stops for buses going on different routes. “If there are two different stops for buses going in Tripunithura and Fort Kochi routes, bus drivers can stop where it is convenient for both set of passengers along their respective routes,” said M B Sathyan, president of the Kerala Private Bus Operators’ Federation (KPBOF).