Mumbai: Commuters who take bus route No. 111 from Nariman Point to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) have been facing a harrowing time due to the erratic frequency of buses during the evening rush hours. Thousands of office workers who rush back home after a day's hectic work are affected by this issue.
The route No. 111 starts from the Free Press House bus stop and terminates at CSMT. Last Thursday, around 6pm, there was no bus, commuters stood in a serpentine queue. When the bus arrived around 6:10pm, it instantly jam-packed with commuters. Upon seeing the heavy rush, the conductor on duty left the bus after having a discussion with the controller and didn’t turn up for around 15 minutes. The driver, too, was reluctant to start the bus, causing total chaos. Protests of frustrated passengers who lost their patience fell on deaf ears. The bus left at 6.20 PM only after the conductor returned after about 20 minutes.
Tough time for train travellers
One of the regular commuters, who wished to remain anonymous, said she has to stand in the queue for more than 15 to 20 minutes every day to board bus No. 111, causing her to miss her regular local train, and she invariably reaches home in the suburbs very late. Furthermore, there is no proper shelter at the bus stop at Free Press House, and commuters have to endure standing in the rain during monsoon.
Commuters suggested that senior traffic officers of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking should visit the bus stop at Free Press House during the evening peak hours, between 5:45pm and 7:30pm, and witness the ordeal being faced by commuters. Frustrated with the services of the BEST authorities, commuters are organising a signature campaign and filing a petition with the BEST headquarters at Colaba, demanding an increase in the frequency of the BEST bus route No. 111.
A few months ago, the commuters had heaved a sigh of relief when the BEST authorities started a new bus service route No. 100 AC plying between Free Press House and CSMT with a lot of pomp and show. But the buses have recently been discontinued without notice or reason. Moreover, the frequency of bus route No. 111 during peak hours is about 20 minutes, which the authorities must look into seriously and increase the frequency of the buses to seven to 10 minutes, at least during evening peak hours between 5:45pm to 7:00pm.
