Commuters sweat it out at bus stops that have no shelters in Visakhapatnam

Whenever the temperatures soar in summer, it is a torturing time for commuters who wait for APSRTC city buses at bus stops (bus bays) under Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits in Visakhapatnam

Whenever the temperatures soar in summer, it is a torturing time for commuters who wait for APSRTC city buses at bus stops (bus bays) under Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits in Visakhapatnam.

Many bus stops do not have basic infrastructure facilities like benches, and some do not even have roofs. Some areas do not have bus shelters, forcing passengers to wait on the road.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting hot weather this summer, no concrete action has been initiated on the bus stops so far, despite several requests from their side to the GVMC, an RTC official said on condition of anonymity.

“It is the GVMC’s responsibility to improve city bus bays, and our role is to suggest them where such improvements are needed,” the RTC official said.

P. Mahesh, a resident of Madhurawada, who works in a shopping mall in the city, said, “I go to my work place by city bus as I cannot afford to take a bike due to high cost of fuel. I heard the news of development of a bus stop near the Andhra University campus during the G-20 summit. This is great, but many bus stops need similar improvement.”

Destitutes taking shelter in the bus bays in some areas such as Gnanapuram, Gopalapatnam, Poorna Market, Lawson’s Bay Colony, HB Colony, One Town, Old Post Office, Arilova, Peda Waltair, Siripuram Junction among other places, said an RTC driver A. Srinivasa Rao.