KARACHI: UTS, Metrobus fail to end travellers’ woes
By Zaheer Ahmed Khan
KARACHI, Oct 28: The public transport system of the metropolis is fast reverting to its pitiable state after the much orchestrated plan to match it with that of a mega city in the developed countries has virtually been shelved.
It was promised that no less than 8,000 jumbo-sized buses would be inducted in the city’s fleet but the authorities concerned have stopped talking about the plan or even the commitment for many months. To the sheer disappointment of citizens, several hundred of the already inducted buses have gone off the road for various reasons and the gap is yet to be filled.
People, especially students, women and the elderly, face great hardship in finding public transport for their destination because of the absence of the required number of buses on a particular route. Large numbers of such people are often seen standing at different bus stops for hours only to see one already overcrowded with passengers. The situation aggravates in peak rush hours.
A big fleet of UTS buses, introduced during the tenure of the former city nazim had failed to cater to the public transport requirement of the city as people continued to complain of overcrowding, shortage of vehicles affecting their frequency, besides improper maintenance of the vehicles, rash driving and ill-mannered crew.
The CNG buses introduced during the same period have almost vanished and there are reports that many of them have become part of some other cities’ transport network.
A survey of the city’s public transport revealed that the number of UTS buses plying on route Nos. 3, 35, 11, 12 is far less than required, hence causing long delays in their arrival and completing their journey. The attitude of UTS crew towards passengers is also insulting and often leads to altercation. The ticket collectors are also found indulging in overcharging of fare.
Passengers complain of the dilapidated condition of almost all UTS buses in operation and question the authorities’ attention to their maintenance. The automatic doors of most of these vehicles have been removed and people are made to stand on footboard during the travel. Drivers of UTS buses, usually resorting to over-speeding and rash driving, are accused of violating traffic rules exposing both the vehicle and the passengers to a possible accident.
Travel in Metrobus, introduced by the Karachi Public Transport Society, is not at all comfortable. While the complaints of their inadequate number is there, passengers often question charging of its full fare arguing that none of these vehicles has its air-condition in working order. A large number of these buses have also been shifted to Punjab, reportedly after the death of a leading transporter, operating many such vehicles.
