Recently, a Facebook post by user Yap Swee Seng went viral. It showed a fancy and expensive bus stop newly built near the Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, the city’s main intercity railway station.
The artistic panel used for the roof and back wall is dotted with designer holes may score high in aesthetic but low in functionality. Those waiting at this bus stop are not sheltered from the sun or rain as water was dropping on Yap’s head while others were holding open umbrellas.
Few people could differentiate between a bus stop, bus stand and bus station, and much less could think of a proper design for a bus stop. Before independence, a sign ‘BUS STOP’ attached to a pole planted to the ground by the roadside denoted the spots where stage buses could stop.
Then, buses were few and far in between but their operations were orderly. Passengers were not allowed to embark or disembark between stations other than at designated bus stops.
Today, shelters are erected at almost every bus stop but in my book, all are uncomfortable, unsafe and inconvenient. Bus stands where buses wait, such as near train stations, are no better. The same goes for the many bus stations in cities and towns throughout the country.
However, I wish to focus on thousands of bus stops along city streets and suburban roads. Firstly, bus stops should not be built too close to the road as those waiting there could easily be struck by a passing vehicle that went out of control due to a tyre puncture or the driver swerved hard to avoid hitting a vehicle or animal.
Where space is available, a layby should be built for the bus to enter and the bus stop constructed behind it. In this way, the bus will not be holding up traffic behind when it stops to pick up or drop off passengers.
Traditionally, the bench is fixed parallel to the road while waiting passengers had to turn their heads towards the right hoping to see a bus heading their way. If space is not enough to place the bench perpendicular to the road, placing it diagonally can reduce strain on many neck muscles.
The surface of the bench is usually uncomfortable to sit on as most are designed to deter vagabonds from sleeping on them. So, most waiting passengers would stand waiting and only sit when overcame with fatigue.
Bus stops must be one of the most inhospitable places in the country, more so when one waits indefinitely for the bus, or the arriving bus is jam-packed that no one could or allowed to board. Sadly, such heart wrenching scenes are repeated every day at many bus stops.
With today’s technology, stage buses can easily be tracked via GPS and estimated time of arrival displayed at ‘smart bus stops’. If number of passengers in each bus is monitored in real time, operators could add more buses to meet surges in demand.
‘Smart bus stops’ is my idea I like to see coming into fruition. Instead of limited to erecting a shelter that hardly protects waiting passengers against thunderstorms, bus stops should include a small shop plus a shed for motorcycles and bicycles to promote public transport.
Local authorities can build such bus stops and appoint a concessionaire to run the shop like a micro convenience store and the operator tasked to look after cleanliness, safety and security of the vicinity. Ex-serviceman would be ideal to play these roles but must be trained to interact well with people.
The concession cannot be contracted or subbed out as the shop operator must be friendly and get to know all regular commuters. Such bus stops could become safe havens for women, children and students, whereas those waiting at secluded bus stops may fall victim to molesters, robbers and snatch thieves.
Where land is scarce in the city, underground air-conditioned bus stops can be built with a micro convenience store plus seating area for passengers to wait, emerging only after the bus has arrived without having to bear the heat, noise and pollutants.
If an underground ‘smart bus stop’ can be built at a popular street, it will become an attraction for both local and overseas visitors. It will elevate Kuching into a smart city and trigger thousands of ‘smart bus stops’, both above and underground, to be built across the country.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
