The people of Labasa can look forward to a much improved bus stand in the coming months as construction starts on upgrading of the existing bus stand this week.

Fiji Roads Authority maintenance works manager Dale Nicholls said the existing bus stand had an unsealed surface that was very hard to maintain.

“The existing layout also had poor management of buses going in and out, stopping areas and overall pedestrian safety; these factors were taken into consideration with the design of the new bus stand,” Mr Nicholls said.

“While the construction work is taking place, buses will operate out of a temporary bus station situated further along Jaduram Street.

“The FRA was requested by the Labasa Town Council in the first instance to look at resurfacing the existing bus stand area and we were also asked to look at the safety of the area, particularly for pedestrians,” he said.

“While bus patrons will experience some short-term inconvenience the benefits of this project is long-term including the new concrete surface that will be suitable for use all year round.

“The new bus stand will provide bus channels so that they line up in an orderly fashion with a separated pedestrian area to improve pedestrian safety so there will be a lot more formality to the layout as part of the safety improvements.

“This change is the result of the discussions between Labasa Town Council, the Bus Operators Association and Taxi Association to ensure bus capacity is not reduced,” he said

“We ask that the public be patient and understanding of the inconvenience that will occur over the next couple of months.”

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