Karachi is one of the most populous cities in the world, and also amongst the largest in terms of area. Travelling within the city is more or less like travelling between cities, yet the public transport system remains one of the many areas where the government hasn’t done much for the public.

Taxis are beyond the reach of the common people (and are dwindling in number as well) while buses and coaches are in bad shape, though commuters have little choice but to use them. The last improvement one saw on this front was in the shape of the yellow cabs that came, that saw and then roared away into oblivion! The CNG buses suffered a similar fate, though they have been reintroduced in insignificant numbers.

The arrival of Qingqi rickshaws (pronounced ‘chinchi’ locally) and CNG rickshaws (the elongated variety that can seat at least six people if not more) has however changed the scenario. Now a family of five or six can book a Qingqi or larger CNG rickshaw for the day at a nominal fare. Similarly, in an age when taxicabs and rickshaws (the smaller two-stoke ones) charge fares at will and the meter has become extinct, the CNG rickshaws have come as a Godsend for the common commuter.

Yes, they too don’t have meters, but they are not as expensive as the other vehicles as fares can be negotiated to more reasonable amounts. In fact, it is perhaps because of the ascent of the Qingqi that the drivers of taxicabs and older rickshaws are being more polite for a change and not arguing as much as they used to in the past.

Qingqis are not new to the metropolis; similar vehicles have been around for years, especially in areas like Saddar where parking your car is difficult. Yet now the Qingqis and larger CNG rickshaws have arrived across the city with a vengeance and are giving other public transport vehicles a run for their money (and clogging up the roads as well as breaking nearly all traffic rules, some would say!)

Yet the arrival of better-looking and more comfortable CNG rickshaws is termed as a welcome change by the public overall. Now people don’t have to cramp up in a three-wheeler where the opening and exit were small, where the seats were torn and the driver was king, while the customer was treated as an oppressed individual. The new three-wheelers are more spacious, look clean on the surface and if a working meter is added to their arsenal, many would gladly ditch their cars in favour of multi-seater CNG rickshaws.

But are such vehicles part of the long-term solution to Karachi’s transport problems?

Not really. For a city that is as large as several small cities combined, travelling is a headache for those who commute from one part of the metropolis to another.

Although the current law and order situation doesn’t seem fruitful for development of any kind, a metro bus on the main roads (hopefully better than the one in Lahore), or a revamped circular railway that is punctual, clean and safe can save the Karachiites from a lot of trouble.

It remains to be seen whether the government — provincial or federal — takes the steps expected of it to serve the people. Or will the people in power continue to turn a blind eye to the commuting problems that exist in one of the largest cities of the world?