Commuters in hot seat at exposed bus stops

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

Passengers wait at a partially covered bus stop. Picture: Shemeer Rasheed

Uncovered ‘shelters’ in many locations across the city for waiting bus passengers are of little use in summer. Those waiting at uncovered bus stops are having a tough time.Enquiries at the Mowasalat office yielded different replies on numbers and it is believed that it could be anywhere between 50 and 100. One thing that most bus passengers agree on is the waiting sheds are of no use to them in their present shape. Though there has been a remarkable rise in the number of bus services, routes and passengers, those waiting at the bus stops are still forced to bear unbearable heat. The passenger shelters across the country are not even completely covered on the sides and offer little comfort to passengers waiting for buses in summer.Some regular bus passengers who spoke to this newspaper felt it is high time bus stops are covered. “In UAE where I worked earlier there are many air-conditioned bus shelters,” said Madanlal Shrestha, a Nepalese worker, who regularly uses buses. “Even if no air-conditioner is provided at such waiting sheds, it would be beneficial to the passengers if they are at least fully covered and equipped with seats.  It is advisable that all such waiting sheds are fitted with air-conditioners at least during the summers,” said a city resident, who lives near a bus stop in the Al Hilal area. He said he had seen many bus passengers taking shelter behind the shed. There is a strong feeling among the more vociferous sections of bus passengers that since they constitute a relatively small group, nobody is paying attention. “Outside the city limits it is worse as almost all bus stops do not have even shelters,” said a bus passenger from Wakrah.Though Mowasalat has repeatedly assured that more facilities would be provided not much has changed since the inception of buses in October 2005.One of the few air-conditioned bus shelters in the country has been built at a place (on  Lusail road) where there is no transport bus service, inquiries found. Another one is near the Ministry of Finance complex on the Corniche from where  hardly any one boards the bus. Bus passengers feel it would be immensely helpful to them if the Mowasalat turns such busy bus waiting sheds as those near LuLu Hypermarlet,  near Gulf Cinema signal on Najma Street and the one near Arab Bank round about into air-conditioned waiting sheds, at least during summers. Another stop which needs urgent attention from Mowasalat is the one near the entrance of Doha International Airport. A large number of passengers are always found waiting in the open, especially during the weekends. Bus passengers in the Industrial Area also said it would be beneficial if all bus stops in the area are covered and equipped with air-conditioners in summers, considering the large number of passengers from the area. A Mowasalat official said the contract for building the waiting sheds is entrusted with another company and they are responsible for its completion to the satisfaction of the customers. However that company did not provide a proper answer other than stating that they would build more sheds in future.