The practice of people parking their cars at slots reserved for the public buses is taking its toll on motorists as well as bus drivers, who say they are being penalised for stopping in the middle of the streets.
Besides offending people in vehicles behind, bus drivers also get fined by the police for stopping in the middle of the road or at places not designated for the purpose, a bus driver told Gulf Times.
“There is no way to stop at designated areas for us as these slots are already occupied by drivers who leave their vehicles there for long periods,” he noted. “If we stop (before or) after the bus stops, passengers get mad at us.”
Worse, he said they have to pay the QR500 fine from their own pockets, which many bus drivers believe should not be the case.



Cars parked at slots marked for buses.

Another driver concurred with his colleague saying he was fined twice for stopping along the road right in front of the bus stop to allow passengers to alight and board.
A few weeks ago, he said, he was hit from behind on Al Waab Road, despite switching on the hazard lights.
“We do this to warn commuters who come from behind to prevent any untoward accident,” he added. “We always want to ensure the safety of our passengers as they board or leave the bus.”
In some cases, he lamented that they have to pay a QR650 fine as an ‘admin fee’ (deducted from their salaries) for any damage to the bus they are driving.
Asked if they report violators to authorities, the bus driver said they take the pictures of cars parked at slots reserved for them, and send it to their office.
He pointed out that at times, they fail to take pictures since they are more concerned for the safety of their passengers.
“But when we get fined by the police, we try to take pictures of the car (cars) as a proof that it was not our fault, hoping our office will pay the fine,” another bus driver said.
He stressed that this practice (parking of cars at bus stops) has been happening for a long time and continuing. Designated areas for buses have become permanent parking lots for some motorists, who leave their cars there for several hours.
He believes that imposing stiffer penalties on violators similar to penalising those who park at slots for people with disabilities would discourage erring motorists from parking at these designated areas for public buses.
Several motorists said bus drivers stop their vehicles right in the middle of the road after they find the reserved slots having been "usurped" by private cars. "This not only blocks traffic on busy roads but also poses a big threat to vehicles coming from behind," they said.
Some commuters and passengers have sided with the bus drivers saying this practice also endangers their lives as well as others.
An Asian expatriate who regularly takes buses to work urged the public to be observant and extra cautious while boarding and leaving buses, taxis, limousines, or any public transport.
He said that some motorists, including illegal car drivers, also tend to park and use these bus stops as waiting areas.