A PLAN to set up 550 modern bus shelters across the kingdom in the next two years is underway in a determined bid to improve public transportation, writes Anasuya Kesavan.

It will prove to be just the ticket for government coffers which will be boosted by BD27,500 annually by the third year of operation.
 
Overseen by the Ministry of Transportation, the project will be implemented by Bahrain Polymers & Steel Factory (BPSF) in Salmabad.

BPSF is responsible for demolishing the existing tatty bus stops and replacing them with new structures made of stainless steel and polymer that are insulated to lessen the heat. It is estimated that the company will build these at the rate of 15 every month for the first six-months. This will then be increased to 20-25 in the remaining period until the project is finished, within two years.
 
Managing director Mohammad Swalheen hopes to get the first of the shelters, ready and operational during Ramadan. He said: “The bus stops will be provided with fans and vending machines. Some of them will also be fitted with air conditioners. I also plan to have LED electronic display systems that will provide information on the bus routes and timings.

“If I get the green light, I would like to set up at least five bus stops – even if one person takes shelter during fasting I believe I will be blessed. With this investment I hope to demonstrate the capabilities of my company and help the public at the same time.”

The company, which has a 10-year contract to maintain and operate the shelters, is investing an estimated BD3million into the project. The new look facilities should also attract product advertising to provide a handsome profit.

But its success will be largely contingent on the passenger experience. The convenience and punctuality of the bus services provided will also have a major role to play if more passengers are to be wooed away from their cars. From personal experience a bus ride in Bahrain, especially during summer, is not exactly a joy ride. However, it is a mode of transport that scores of people such as maids, shop assistants, restaurant workers and many others use.

Armed with a ‘grandfather umbrella’ I walked a short distance from the GulfWeekly office on Exhibition Road to the nearest bus stand in Gudaibiya. It took me around 12 minutes in the mid-day sun and it was very hot!

I reached the bus stop just in time to join a queue of passengers waiting to take bus route number five to Budaiya and then on to Salmaniya. 

The bus stop consisted of nothing more than a bench with a concrete roof and a small board that displayed the number of the bus. This, I believe, is one of the better stands currently in the country with a proper bay for the bus and taxi stand that also has a small plastic water tub.

Many bus stops around the country do not even provide a bench to sit on or shade to protect waiting passengers from the sun. Normally it’s just a pole with a board displaying the number of the route that identifies it as a bus stand. Most of us I am sure, don’t even notice them.

The bus took about 20 minutes to arrive and my journey to the main bus station in Manama cost me just 200 fils. The bus was air conditioned but provided no information about its final destination or the route it takes to get there.
One of my fellow passengers was Luicito Samio, 28, from the Philippines, who works in the kitchen at Chili’s and makes the journey to the restaurant from Ras Al Ruman every day. Another seasoned traveller was Pakinstani Abdul Hafeez who works at a local boutique and has taken the trip four-times-a-day for the past four years between his workplace in Gudaibiya to his home in Manama.

Both of them admitted that on an average they spent half-an-hour every day waiting for a bus and on unlucky days it can take up to an hour. “We will benefit most with the availability of a water cooler,” said Abdul about the new public transport plans. “There are many people who do not carry water with them and there is no option of buying any close by. You can cross the road to the nearest cold store but you will risk missing the bus and waiting another hour!

“The roof shades also need to be wider than they currently are so that people can sit and be protected from the sun.”

Information on the bus timings and the routes appeared only to be available with the station master in the Manama bus stand. But the people were definitely friendly and helpful and, after these conversations, I took the next bus back home to Hoora.

Will I do it again? Maybe ... the investment planned is obviously a step in the right direction.