What’s the fuss about the bus?

Shaz, Ruwi and Sachi

The halt is filled with gossip-mongers on a sultry day fanning themselves when V3 get there. No wonder, V3 got to the street at the worst hour - office time. In a little while, a bus lags along that is on the verge of falling down.

V3 can see it spilling passengers at the entrance and exit and are glad to see the bus unloading some but more mount on. The halt’s exodus had stomped off, leaving us to panic as if the apocalypse was well around the corner. Thinking that the worst was over, V3 have no choice but to take the next bus to their favourite coffee hangout.

“I think we should think about how we can solve this issue,” says Shaz, occupying the seat posted in the halt.

“What do you mean?” asks Ruwi taking the one next to Shaz’s.

Shaz provides an answer: “That was not the only bus on the verge of falling down but many buses go to their destinations like that. I mean, technology is changing and today, there are buses joined together that emit the same amount of carbon monoxide as one bus. There are also double-decker buses to allow more space for commuters.”

“That seems good enough but why don’t we see enough double-deckers here?” questions Sachi.

Developed countries like Singapore and England have double-deckers and joint buses. Improvements often go on par with our public transport; we keep on getting more and more buses as donor agencies help upgrade our standard of bus fleet but what about the passenger problem? Shouldn’t the Transport Ministry think about getting more double-deckers or bigger buses to curb this?

“I think the traffic problem is the same anywhere in the world, people just opt for the different modes of transport so since Colombo is such a developed city, why can’t they put up a metro or a good train system where you can choose a different way of transport” Ruwi ponders.

“Another problem is that vehicle traveling is more the ‘posh’ way of getting around, their excuse for traveling in public transport is that it’s too bulky and so we all have to live with the additional carbon emissions that contribute to global warming,” says Shaz.

“Exactly, in other countries, people take the metro, subway and trains even if they work in the posh district of Manhattan because it’s easier to travel that way and no road rage,” Sachi muses. “However road rage is a common personality trait for bus drivers in Sri Lanka because they don’t care about passengers’ lives being at risk, they’d like to overtake other buses for getting to a destination on time to beat the competition” he adds.

Speaking of the Government run bus service, V3 agree that it is a far better option to private transport. Some of the staff can be courteous and disciplined. “You have the safety and assurance of service even at the midnight” says Sachi.

“However, many buses are private and the way they handle the bus on the road is terrible. Sometimes I am afraid to even walk around when some buses come within close proximity. Why are they in such a hurry? I mean, they always get the lion’s share of the transport revenue compared with the public transport, right?” Ruwi questions with a thoughtful frown.

“That’s because the conductor and driver need more commuter income to earn their day’s pay whereas the Government transport staff gets a fixed salary on a monthly basis. However, bus owners should take steps to train their staff on discipline because what happens is vice versa,” Sachi comments.

“Private buses should not always be the scapegoat because not all behave badly. Some buses do not even charge the clergy,” says Shaz in a contemplative mood.

“Crowded buses are sometimes no-go area, because you never know when a man approaches you. When a man is leaning against you, it can either be on purpose, or merely he is pushed off by the crowd making it a real nuisance,” she goes on to add.

“Men up to deviant behavior at buses won’t have easy time when Ruwi’s around,” exclaims Sachi with a wink.

“Well, majority of the men take advantage of the crowd and make-believe they are pushed off by the crowd. Men, you know, are very sly on things like that,” Ruwi adds with a huff and Shaz gives Sachi a side-long glance which is somewhat puzzling.

“Now why are you giving me that stare? Have you ever seen me doing something like that?” Sachi questions innocently earning looks of amusement from his companions.

However Sachi cannot go ahead bearing out his innocence, as Ruwi spots a bus coming up from the distance. Doing their best to avoid the scrambling and the struggle, V3 race and manage to just get into the bus.