What was supposed to be a convenient tool for commuters with which to identify routes on state transport buses seems to have backfired badly on the authorities.

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On paper, the decision to convert the white-painted steel plates — which serve as route indicators — to radium-painted ones appeared to be the right thing to do.

A couple of weeks ago, when Deepak Kapoor, the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) managing director, was on a visit to Vidarbha, he saw that these route indicators were not properly visible, and so he began consulting with experts on how best to solve the problem. He was advised to use fluorescent paint instead of white paint as a background. On January 24, he issued orders to the effect that all the indicators inside MSRTC buses be re-painted.

About 5,000-odd buses have already been re-painted, but many bus drivers and conductors have had to face complaints from passengers regarding the indicators’ poor visibility.

“Although the paint serves us well during low or no-light conditions, passengers frequently complain that on brightly lit roads or during normal daylight, the route names are not clearly visible.” said an MSRTC bus driver on condition of anonymity.

However, a senior MSRTC official said, “The deadline for the conversion of all route indicators is February 25; this will help passengers, and I am not aware of any visibility problem in buses that have been painted with the new paint.”