Baramunda Bus Terminal – Bhubaneswar

Priyanka Sinha – 2023MTPLM001

The bus terminal is situated in Baramunda, Bhubaneswar, khordha district. All the intra-state and inter-
state bus services are available in this bus stand. The existing district bus stops and the local bus stops
are connected to this bus stand making it a key transportation point of the city. This is the oldest bus
stand of the city and the name is after the location itself.

Physical aspects:

The bus terminal has over 500 buses covering major destinations in the state and neighbouring cities.
It's spread across 15.5 acres. However, the roads at the entry and exit have potholes, causing traffic
jams. The terminal is 8 kilometres from the city centre, where OSRTC and private operators run buses.
The Terminal Building is a G+2 structure, situated at the centre of the bus terminal area. The ground
floor of the building accommodates ticket counters, platforms, ATMs and an old-age home. OSRTC
also known as Odisha State Road Transport Corporation has taken up office space in the first and
second floors. The second floor also houses certain number of guest houses. Shops, both authorized
and unauthorized, are found near the exit gate. However, this bus terminal lacks basic amenities and
infrastructure. There are no dedicated bus lanes or circulation.

Services:

Vehicles enter and exit the bus terminal through service lanes along NH-5. The terminal has two
gates: Gate-1, used for bus entry and parking for two-wheelers and four-wheelers along with
passengers, and Gate-2, for bus and vehicle exit. Gate-2 is also briefly used for bus entry. Two-
wheeler parking near Gate-1 lacks a systematic order. A one-acre depot, positioned to the right of the
entry gate, houses a workshop, sub-station, and shops. However, there's no dedicated parking for
four-wheelers, and the two-wheeler parking lacks order. The terminal faces challenges in providing
organized parking and circulation.

Customer Orientation

People often have to wait in long lines at the ticket counter, and there's not much seating available.
They use guest houses on the second floor as waiting areas. However, there are many basic shops
which will cater to the regular customers. Unfortunately, the bus terminal is dirty, unclean, and lacks
any amenities for passengers. The entrance gate faces high traffic congestion because of improper
parking facilities, making it difficult for people to get in and out easily. Overall, accessibility is a major
issue.

What can be done?

Passenger facilities inside terminal shall be properly located and shall be accessible, such as seating,
kiosks, vending machines and parking. The terminal operational should have facilities which include
proper bus bays, bus lanes, entry-exits and circulation pattern. The existing parking should be
developed and provision for proper parking facilities should be provided for two wheelers as well as the
four wheeler parking. The terminal should ensure to have passenger pick up and drop off points. As
there is not a dedicated waiting hall provided for the users, there should be a proper waiting hall and
waiting space. Accessibility should be improved for smoother circulation. By addressing this aspects,
the bus terminal can be turned into a more user friendly, efficient, universal and sustainable
transportation hub.

Parking

There should parking facility available for the private vehicles in bus terminals for public convenience,
so that they can park their vehicles securely. Also it uses useful for regular users to can park for a
short period and then can use the services for their needs. Implementing paid parking at bus
terminals is a strategic decision that can bring about several benefits, primarily in generating revenue
for future maintenance and improvement purposes. Additionally, they can be less reliant on public
funding for the improvement. Paid parking also encourages efficient use of parking space and traffic
congestion. Implementing a paid parking system with a rate of Rs 20 for four-wheelers at bus
terminals can offer several benefits to users, especially for short-term parking also depending upon
various factors.