BORIVALI: Bus drivers vie for passengers, turn highways into wait spots

Boarding intercity buses from Western Express Highway, Borivali, near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) is no less than a nightmare for most of the passengers. While the list of complaints is long, it begins with the fact that one of the busiest intercity transit hubs for a few years now has been operating below the under-construction Metro line, amidst several demolished structures and sheer traffic mess.

Every day, a few thousand passengers can be spotted boarding buses that line up all along from Omkareshwar temple to the northern end of a flyover near Dahisar river bridge, and head to various cities in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The number of passengers and buses see a major spike during the vacation period.

Cursing her luck for not getting a confirmed train ticket, Shivani Thakkar, a Borivali resident who was forced to take a bus to Rajkot, said, "It's a complete mess. People put their luggage on the road and sit on them in this scorching heat waiting for their bus to arrive. Since there is no designated spot for these buses, people run helter-skelter with their luggage when their bus arrives."

For Mihir Mehta, a Borivali resident travelling to Banswara, the struggle was completely different. He spent 20 minutes in search of a toilet, which is located at the northern end of Borivali flyover. "I had to drag two bags with me on the road to the toilet. Neither the authorities nor private bus operators had spared a thought for intercity travellers. With hundreds of buses plying from here, the authorities must set up a terminal with passengers' amenities," Mehta said.

However, it's not just the passengers who are troubled; the heavy network of buses plying, and haphazard parking causes traffic snarls at the Omkareshwar temple junction as well as this busy highway.

As per estimates, over 800 buses ply to Gujarat and Rajasthan from Borivili daily. Earlier, buses originating from Borivili used to be parked under the flyover. However, a ban on parking under flyover spilt these buses on the highway. The situation turned worse with Metro pillars eating up a major portion of the road.

"The buses are parked right from the entrance of the temple to the northern end of the flyover near Dahisar river bridge. The line of buses end up narrowing the already narrow lane, during late evenings double parking sparks heavy traffic congestion," said Naveen Rane a local resident.

Vijay Walawalkar, a resident of Nancy Colony said that these bus operators and travel agencies, thanks to the nexus with political leaders and traffic cops, violate all traffic rules and face no flack. "Over the years the situation has deteriorated, but authorities have simply turned a blind eye for their own interest," he said.