LUCKNOW, Nov. 14 -- The bus commuters in the city are currently forced to wait near moving traffic due to the poor condition or absence of shelters throughout the city. A long-pending plan to renovate and upgrade these shelters remains in limbo, as repeated efforts to solicit bids from contractors have been unsuccessful. Of around 45 bus shelters across the city, barely 10 are in usable condition. While some have vanished altogether, others have crumbled over time, depriving passengers of designated waiting spaces. Consequently, commuters are forced to line up along busy roads, often boarding buses in the midst of traffic-a situation that endangers passengers and increases congestion. According to the managing director of Lucknow City Transport Services Ltd (LCTSL), "Nearly five tenders have been floated so far for the renovation and upgradation of bus shelters, but none has attracted a bidder." With no bidders secured, the renovation schedule is in limbo and faces an uncertain future, leaving public transport infrastructure in disrepair. For daily travelers, this means continuing to board buses amidst moving traffic due to a lack of safe waiting areas. The project has faced repeated hurdles, with the tender process failing to take off despite multiple attempts. HT had reported on July 24 that LCTSL floated its fifth tender, covering 40 bus shelters, after four earlier rounds failed to attract bidders. An LCTSL tender published on the Uttar Pradesh government's procurement portal in February proposed a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model for the maintenance and upgradation of bus shelters. Under the arrangement, the selected operator would also be granted advertising rights, with the aim of bringing private players on board to maintain and improve passenger amenities. Officials attributed the repeated failure to attract bidders primarily to the high prices quoted in the tender. The lack of designated waiting spaces also has implications for other road users. Buses stopping amid moving traffic to pick up passengers eat into the available carriageway, slowing the movement of other vehicles. Commuters, meanwhile, remain vulnerable as they approach or alight from buses on busy roads. The absence of functional shelters has thus emerged as both a road safety concern and a traffic management challenge....