PRIVATE BUSES: It is very unfortunate that this columnist has been compelled to address Railway and Transport Minister A.H.M. Fowzie who appears to be very much concerned about the commuters who patronise both State and private sector buses.

With the increase in fuel prices, the public who so far used their own private vehicles and other private coaches would have to abandon them and join the ever enlarging queue to get into a bus, although it is real hell to travel specially in private buses.

Recently one of the Sinhala dailies had reported an experience of a Police Inspector of Warakapola travelling in a private sector run bus.

According to the report the conductor in this particular bus has been nagging one of the passengers in the bus shouting at him and demanding him to get up and give his seat to a passenger travelling beyond Warakapola, although there was no passenger looking for a seat.

When the conductor approached this particular passenger ( he has all the right to go seated if there is a seat) threatening and asking the passenger to make way for a passenger travelling beyond Warakapola, the gentlemanly passenger modestly had told the conductor that he was ready to give his seat to a passenger, if there was one. But no one was in sight.

While the heckling was continuing the bus reached Warakapola and the passenger who was heckled by the conductor got down and two others with him. He asked them to direct the bus to the Warakapola Police station and the conductor and the bus driver were taken into the police station.

Lo and behold the passenger whom the conductor had been heckling was seated in the OIC's seat. The conductor was pleading and saying sorry. He told the OIC that he did not know the passenger was the Inspector.

The OIC gave him a piece of advice and asked him to treat all alike without distinction and not to be rude to the passengers. Thank goodness the OIC was a through gentleman, a man with a heart and feeling for the others. But if it was someone else the situation would have been different.

This is not an imagined story but something that really had taken place. Incidents of the sort stated above happens not only in the private buses but even in the State run buses.

This leads to the point I wanted to draw to the attention of the Minister. That is, the need to discipline conductors and drivers in the transport trade. The truth is that a majority of bus conductors are uneducated, half baked, hence uncultured and they are not respecters of any discipline. Hence they needed to be trained, cultured and refined.

The first thing those entering the transport trade should bear in mind is that the passengers who patronise their buses are their masters and they need to be treated better. If the public refuse to travel in buses where they are subjected to continuous harassment and harshness of the conductors, those in the trade would have to look for an alternative to make their ends meet.

What the Ministry should do is to focus its attention in utilising available institutions to provide a crash programme to the newly recruited hands and give them basics of human contact the `I - Thou relationship' and teach them to address politely the masters who favour them by travelling in their buses.

In the training classes they should be told never to address the passengers in an annoying them and never-ever get into arguments that could lead to verbal harassment on the part of the conductors. These arguments lead to the unnecessary use of filth and creating an unhealthy and unfriendly atmosphere to other travellers.

They should also know something of human psychology. People leave homes to reach their destinations, the workplace, school, hospital or any place of their interest and all the time their minds are occupied with something.

Welcoming each passenger with a broad smile by the conductor could drive away the worries of those travelling. A kind word could do wonders to the worried and that sort of communication could create a happy bond in the long run and the people would love to travel with such humans.

There is one other point which I consider important. That is the use of music in buses. Undoubtedly music can be a soothing balm if it is used well. But the "Malakada Kapu Sangeethe" as referred to music by the passenger is one form of harassment. That the conductors should avoid.

They should remember that people travel with lots of constraints with sad and worried minds. Being in the early hours of the mornings, many prefer to travel in a sober and silent atmosphere. The type of music and songs played in the private buses disturb and annoy the passengers. And even if asked to stop such music, pleas of the passengers go unheard.

The training classes for drivers and conductors should stress on the mindfulness and consideration for others. If the music is used to keep the passengers happy and comfortable, the passengers will welcome it. But it is not always pleasant to hear the songs and music played in the buses.

All these the conductors and drivers should know. If they play the music for their own pleasure, the bus is not the place. We remember well when the private buses were introduced in the country over 25 years ago how the bus conductors welcomed the passengers. But once they had established themselves and got the state run buses to make room for them to run buses in the routes amply used by them, they hardly respected the passengers.

The Inspector in the episode just narrated was a victim. We have been victims long ago and continue to be victims as the State run buses fail to run enough buses in routes where public throng.

The private buses also fail to observe the laws of the trade and there is hardly anyone to check them. There are times whence the checkers come but they do not perform the duty they have been assigned to. They are also in a hurry and whisper in the ear of the conductor and move out. The passengers cannot expect a good service from them.

It is up to good Minister Fowzie to take steps to discipline the bus conductors and drivers and 'Gamaya' is very optimistic the public would extend their support with suggestions necessary to draw up a better plan.