KARACHI:
Over the years, public transport has been a highly useful and economical mode of conveyance; but, as the population grows, public transport is becoming increasingly scarce as well as unreliable. As against other modes of transport like taxis, carpooling and hired vans and buses — which cannot be availed by the general public without private arrangement — public transport (also known as public transit or mass transit) is a shared passenger transport service that is available for use by the general public. Effective and accessible public transport is vital to economic growth, employee and corporate productivity, job creation, etc. Public transport also supports efforts to tackle pollution and curtail use of energy. People’s quality of life is also lifted.
And a related issue is the extremely bad condition of roads across the country — including my hometown Karachi — having been worsened in the wake of the recent rains and floods. The roads available in the country are extremely dangerous for passengers. There is an urgent need to invest money in improving road infrastructure to avoid traffic jams and accidents. The government must, on a priority, make arrangements for as many public bus services as possible, besides improving the condition of roads and highways.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2022.
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