I appeal to the authorities concerned to build more bus stops at strategic points.
KARACHI: While there have been many complaints about the state of public buses, I would like to add to the list of grievances. When buses halt mid-way on their route to let passengers in, bus drivers tend not to give the passengers enough time to step onto the bus. They stop just long enough for the person to plant one foot inside the bus and then drive off at full speed. Similarly, when passengers are trying to get off, drivers never wait for them to fully disembark resulting in falls for the passengers while stepping off the bus, which can be dangerous as there is the threat of oncoming traffic running them over.
While this might not be regarded as a grave issue, I would like to point out that such behaviour by bus drivers can cause serious accidents and it is a mercy that there have not been more mishaps caused by such reckless driving. I appeal to the authorities concerned to build more bus stops at strategic points so that bus drivers have no choice but to stop there until everyone gets off or on safely. This will also reduce the number of people stopping buses in the middle of a busy road.
Samara Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2012.
