Going gets tough for BRT

The eagerly-awaited Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit service has run into rough weather shortly after it launched operations on August 13. The causes might range from mechanical failure to lack of experience in handling the buses to human negligence, though it would be premature to say anything with definiteness before a thorough probe is conducted into the whole affair. One may also describe the situation as being jinxed as merely around 48 hours after the BRT started its service, a bus developed a mechanical fault and the journey came to an abrupt end much to the disappointment of the commuters. Less than a week later, the batteries of another bus caught fire. The concerned quarters have started to raise eyebrows after a fire erupted on another bus on September 11.

A series of mishaps has led the authorities to contact the manufacturers. Doubts are being raised as to the quality of the buses and the efficiency of their operators. A senior official of the relevant department says such issues happen all over the world as machines are, in any case, undependable. He has, however, emphasised the need for a thorough probe into the matter in order to get to the root of the problem. According to him, the matter is being inquired into locally and by representatives of the manufacturers as officials from China would conduct their own investigations. After the completion of both inquiries, the results will be compared. The department concerned does not rule out the possibility of sabotage aimed at failing the scheme. As informed by a relevant official, two buses have been decommissioned after detection of mechanical faults in them.

The BRT has announced suspension of the bus service till the completion of a detailed investigation. The authorities concerned have pledged that the inquiry reports will be made public. We hope that the reports will be published even if they are unpalatable for some.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2020.

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