Women commuters have expressed concern over the poor sanitation facilities at major bus stands in Coimbatore city. The absence of waste disposal bins, broken locks, dirty floors, and inadequate water supply are among the complaints they have raised. While there are a few well-maintained toilets at the seven major bus terminals in the city, the lack of accessibility remains a significant problem.

At the Gandhipuram City Bus Stand that caters to local city buses there are no usable toilets for women. A police personnel at the bus stand said the toilets were non-functional due to lack of water supply and are difficult to locate for passengers who do not visit the bus stand regularly.

At the Singanallur Bus Stand, where around 17,500 passengers travel daily from Monday to Thursday and around 22,500 between Friday and Sunday, there are six stalls. But most of these are unusable because of unhygienic conditions. Wet floors, strong chlorine smell, broken locks, and the absence of bins make them difficult for the commuters to even enter.

“Two years ago, I used the toilet at Singanallur bus stand and it was so dirty that I stopped using public convenience altogether,” said Manoranjitham, a commuter. Another passenger, Menaka, said she was unaware of the location of the toilets.

At the Gandhipuram Town Bus Stand, which serves buses to nearby towns and villages, there are five usable stalls with adequate water supply and lighting, and a cleaner was present. However, Sushama, a middle-aged commuter, said the toilets lacked maintenance despite being cleaner than those in other bus stands.

The recently-built toilet at Ukkadam Bus Stand has six stalls. Here too the commuters complained about wet floors, foul odour, lack of bins, and absence of water in the washbasin outside. “The unbearable odour inside the facility makes me hesitant to use them,” said Charlotte, a college student.

At the Omni Bus Stand, Mettupalayam Road bus stand, and the SETC/TNSTC bus stands, where the users need to pay, the toilets still lacked water supply, proper lighting, and bins.  

Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabhakaran said that the civic body officials inspect public toilets periodically to assess their condition and upkeep. He said the grievances of users will be addressed immediately.