The Answer to Karachi’s Commuting woes?
Petrol prices have now touched the 250rs per liter mark. This constitutes a rise of around an astonishing seventy percent since March of this year. Inflation rates in Pakistan are approaching and exceeding the twenty percent mark. This kind of rise, both in petrol prices and the knock-on effect on inflation is no less than crippling for the middle and lower-middle class.
At times like these, the working man requires something that can ease his woes. Pakistan’s People’s Party, quite surprisingly, has come out as a very unlikely hero in this situation. Or have they? The recently started People’s Bus Service has caused a lot of debate in online circles, and within the buses themselves. The new service is making waves all across the city with the service officially begun with a few routes on the 27th of June. It was inaugurated on Monday by People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Known officially as the Sindh Peoples Intra-District Bus Service, there are more routes to be opened in the big city as well as in Hyderabad, the second biggest city of the province.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab tweeted: “Happy to inform that Peoples Bus Service has become operational and will operate from Malir Halt to Tower. Sindh government has procured 240 new hybrid air conditioned buses for Karachi which will operate on 7 different routes.”
This comes in a time of dire need. 149 routes were operational in the city of Karachi and by the year 2020, these numbers have reduced to 76 routes primarily because of the introduction of illegal public transport at a massive level.
But is this a massive boon for a city so undeservedly starved of infrastructure and support, or is it just a political ploy by a desperate People’s Party looking to find favor in the most important city of the country?
The Need for Public Transport
The Megacity of Karachi is a very unplanned city. Most of the residential areas are very far away from the centers of commerce and where people go for work. Hence, there is a large demand for commuting and commuting services.
Most commutes in the city range from 15-28 kilometers (for example, model colony and malir to saddar, as an example) and thus there is a need for infrastructure to cater to the demand. Lacking a good train service, the main thing that fulfills the need for commuting for the denizens of the city that never sleeps are the numerous bus services that run in grids across the city.
An example of this is the 9C bus service that goes from the two main cantonments, covering most of the main commuting pathway for Karachi-Shahrah-e-faisal. At 2020 there were about 150 such bus services with hundreds of buses that criss-crossed the city that were private owned mostly and the service was questionable to put it politely.
There were a lot of accidents and reckless driving involved and over-charging and packing passengers in like sardines were normal practice. However, at the end of 2020 these services were halved to only about eighty such services by the government due to irregularities and health risks.
The services that could possibly take their place, or create a market for the upper-middle and middle-class were also unfortunately shut-down before they could gain a foothold in the city. Airlift and Swvl were two companies that looked to make ride-sharing and van services “hip” were shut down due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
This was followed in 2022 by a steep rise in petrol prices that made using personal means of conveyance and even personal valet services like Uber, Careem, Bykea, and InDriver way too expensive. Previously, a the average bykea ride cost about 250rs and it shot up to 500rs nowadays. Careem and Uber car services can not be found for less than 1000rs if you are looking for a ride of 20-30km (the average commute).
In comes the People’s Bus Service.
What is the People’s Bus Service?
These are airconditioned buses running on the same routes as the normal bus services except they can accommodate a lot more people per bus and cost quite a bit less. The now iconic red-buses take 25rs for a short route and 50rs for a longer loop (e.g. a similar long loop from Tower to Malir Halt would be 80-100rs).
These Buses are spacious and airconditioned, most of the passengers do have to be standing but in the muggy heat of the coastal city they are a hit with the local populace.
People have no problems standing for long durations of time and getting jostled if they are getting to travel in airconditioning and the clean atmosphere is alluring for more and more of the middle-class that is accustomed to airconditioning in their conveyance. Furthermore, by getting more people used to driving begin coming towards using public transport the city itself can lessen the traffic jams that it’s denizens have become so used to.
Will it last?
However, there are already some issues that have been raised with regards to this new service. The Buses have been imported from China and the main problem is the maintenance of these buses. According to experts, even the tires of these buses are not available in the Pakistani market and have to be imported and these kinds of bureaucratic hangups might lead to multiple routes shutting down before they can be started.
There were also concerns over the ticketing aspect of things as currently the buses are running without tickets, putting the responsibility of collection of fare on the staff of the buses themselves. Cash-only services are notoriously liable to become corrupt in the long-run without proper check and balance on the system.
In anycase, the first route of the service from Model Colony to Tower has been succesful.
According to Sharjeel Memon: “Route 2 of Peoples Bus Service will start from tomorrow 1st July. North Karachi to Indus Hospital. Via Nagan Chiwrangi, Shafiq Morr, Sohrab Goth, Gulshan Chowrangi, NIPA, Johar Morr, COD, Drigg Road station, Colony Gate, Shah Faisal colony, Singer Chiwrangi & Landhi.”
The intent behind provision of this service is unimportant, the hope of Karachiites is that it continues, and they can have some peace.
