What ‘MAN’? ask public as new buses skip timing

Hi-end buses make passengers wait for hours in sweltering heat

Anwar Moideen

Manama

The new fleet of red MAN buses started with much fanfare has left the passengers high and dry. As the buses fail to keep the time schedule, waiting for these buses has become a tougher proposition; especially under the scorching sun.

With temperature soaring over 40 degree Celsius in the past few days, for people who rely on the public transport, the protracted waiting for buses is a nightmare. Passengers grouse that though the hi-tech buses are touted to be passenger-friendly, they even don’t follow the exact timetable scheduled for their routes. The civic body has around 22 fleets of buses in the Kingdom.

The long queues at the Manama transport stand during the current hot and unbearable climatic condition show the apparent misery of the passengers. Women and kids can be seen covering their heads with dupattas, while labourers cover their heads with whatever they are holding in their hands.

During Fridays, the scene is very pathetic with more people travel to spend their weekend.

“The heat is unbearable in the afternoon and bus frequency is low. We need to wait for around 45 minutes to an hour to catch a bus to Muharraq from Manama,” said Abdul Nazir, a Bangladeshi labourer.

According to a passenger, the volunteers, who are appointed to take care of the travelers, so often behave rudely when people raise voice against the inefficiency of the public transportation.

He opined that the authorities were yet to decide on the manner in which it would operate these buses. Majority of the people, who can't afford their own vehicles, rely on such a patchy network of public transportation as their sole way to travel.