Bus stops in Bhubaneswar to have bus routes and timings

100 more new bus stops will be built in Bhubaneswar to get rid of traffic congestion due to unplanned mushrooming of bus stops near several crossings in the city.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL), which is running city buses, will jointly develop these bus stops.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting held in BMC office. At present, the city has 98 bus stops, but there is a need for more than 200 such facilities. Once the construction of the new bus stops is over, the authorities will shift its focus on the 98 old stops.

The designs of the new bus stops will be different from that of the existing ones. “In consultation with BPTSL, we have finalized the designs. Basically, we are following the Delhi model, which has features like steel structures, integrated chairs, location maps and bus numbers,” said BMC deputy commissioner Subhranshu Mishra.

From now onwards, Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Service Limited that manages the city bus service would identify sites for bus stops, and later, shift the ones, which are too close to the traffic squares.

BMC commissioner Krishan Kumar said that from now onwards, whenever any bus stop would be built, the transport service would first visit the locality and identify the spot.

“After the transport service identifies it, the bus stops will be constructed. Then these would be handed over to private parties, who would maintain the structures. They will get 50 sqft space to post their advertisements on it. A new model has been designed for this purpose by the development authority,” said the corporation’s public relations officer Srimanta Mishra.

Besides, at the existing bus stops, there are no information about routes and bus timings. People, who are new to the city, at times, even do not know the name of the locality where they are standing. Now, there will be signage with the map of the route and the bus details.

According to officials, Rs 1.60 lakh has been earmarked for each bus stop.