People wait for bus inside the Bangalore University Jnanabharathi campus.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

 A walk inside the Bangalore University’s (BU) Jnanabharathi campus reveals small groups of people standing on either side of the road at three points. At first look, it looks like a gathering, but when a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stops in front of them is when these points can be recognised as bus stops. 

There are three points inside the university where buses usually stop – near the Civil Engineering Department, near the library, and near the administration block. However, there is neither any signage nor any infrastructure to indicate that they are bus stops. Students are forced to stand and await buses irrespective of weather conditions for their commute within and out of the campus. 

On a weekday afternoon in summer, the temperature was hovering over 30 degrees Celsius and many students at the university had just finished their examination.  

One Master of Arts (MA) student was waiting for a bus near the Civil Engineering Department to go home in Nayandahalli. “It has sort of become a habit for us to wait for buses like this. During summer, we can at least find a tree to stand in its shade, but when it rains, we must manage with umbrellas and if there is too much wind, then we get drenched inevitably,” she said.  

Students also shared that there is no guarantee about the buses stopping at these points. “They rarely stop near the library. They only stop if someone wants to get down,” a student said.  

Demand for internal commute system 

Even those who stay in BU hostels are dependent on buses as the hostels are approximately over a km away from some departments like microbiology or fine arts. The students thus say that a shuttle service, a buggy system or e-bikes should be set up inside the campus for internal commute. 

“My department is near the administration block. But if I need to buy some food or get some photocopies, I must go to the other end of the campus. The frequency of BMTC buses is not great during the afternoon hours and we are forced to walk or wait for a long duration for buses on roads as there are no bus shelters. The university should provide some kind of internal commute options like private universities do,” shared a student pursuing his postgraduation in biology.

Male students also said that while female students can commute for free with Shakti scheme, they should shell out at least ₹20 to 30 every day to travel inside the campus.  

According to an official in the university, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has not set up bus shelters even after multiple requests.  

Jayakara S.M. Vice-Chancellor of BU, said that the new bus shelters will be set up on the campus shortly under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. “We are in talks with some companies who want to set up tech powered e-bus stops with all modern facilities on the campus. We will reach a decision shortly.” 

Accident on campus 

Most of these issues on the campus are not new. In October 2022, students and staff members of the university held demonstrations for days after Shilpa Shri, a 21-year-old postgraduate student, died after sustaining major injuries while trying to board a bus. There was a demand to ban entry of private vehicles into the university and implementation of other road safety measures including designated bus shelters.  

“We placed our demands before the authorities as well as university officials in 2022. A lot of them remain unfulfilled. For a university with such a history, it is upsetting that we do not have something as basic as bus shelters, pedestrian crossings and drinking water even after us demanding them so many times,” said Lokesh Ram, vice-president of Bangalore University Postgraduate and Research Scholars’ Union.  

Students frequently still face issues like vehicles not stopping at pedestrian crossing zones and walking through traffic congestion on the campus. “During peak hours in the morning, we must wait at least 10 minutes to cross the road near the administrative block. Vehicles never stop even if there is a group of us trying to cross the road,” shared a student from the Fine Arts Department. 

The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) said that while it is not possible to ban private vehicular movement on campus as of now, several steps have been taken to make it safer for students. 

“We have banned heavy goods vehicles and installed signages everywhere. We have also installed speed breakers and rumbler strips. We also have a new police station set up there and like everywhere else in the city, we have amped up enforcement there too,” said M.N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru.