47,000 Students, 30 Buses: Karachi University transport system in crisis

No new buses added in 14 years; Rs10 ticket makes students travel in overcrowded vehicles

KARACHI:

The University of Karachi (KU) is facing a severe transport crisis as its decades-old point bus service fails to meet the needs of its ever-growing student population. With more than 47,000 students enrolled and only 30 buses operating, thousands of students from far-flung areas struggle daily to reach campus.

KU is the only university to offer transport service for Rs10 for a trip. According to the University Transport Department, no new buses have been added to the fleet in 14 years. The existing vehicles are old and in need of constant repair. "Even 100 buses would be insufficient now," said Transport In-charge Dildar Khan while talking to The Express Tribune. "The number of students increases every year, but the transport resources remain the same. The Sindh government must intervene and provide new buses."

Overcrowding and exhaustion

Students coming from Landhi, Keamari, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Malir, Korangi, and other distant areas describe their daily commute as exhausting and dangerous. Each bus, meant to seat around 62 passengers, often carries up to 150 students, forcing many to hang by the doors or stand on the steps throughout the journey.

A student from the Department of Mass Communication, who travels from Landhi, shared: "Most of the time, I have to stand on the last step of the bus. Some students sit on the floor, others stand, and those lucky enough grab a seat. It's so crowded that even breathing becomes difficult."

Another student from the Pharmacy Department described her modus operandi to secure her seat: "I keep my bag inside the bus early in the morning to reserve a place. Then I wait with my friends or grab something from the canteen until it's time to leave. On the way back, the buses stop at three terminals - near the Pharmacy, Silver Jubilee Gate, and the main terminal - so that more students can get in."

Students from Applied Chemistry also voiced concerns about overcrowding and the lack of gender segregation in the buses. "Boys and girls travel together in packed buses, which is inappropriate," said one student. "Some even faint due to the heat and suffocation, yet the drivers still try to accommodate everyone. Despite all this, they only charge Rs10 for a trip to Gulshan-e-Hadeed - which is admirable. But we urgently need more buses."

Limited access, growing pressure

Only about 4,500 students - less than seven per cent of the university's population - can use the point service. The remaining depends on expensive private vans, motorbikes, or public transport. The problem is even worse for evening program students, for whom no university buses are available.

The university, which houses 55 departments and 27 research institutes, is struggling to maintain its aging fleet. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) provided a few buses in 2022, but even with those, the total number remains around 30.KU is the only university, public or private, that offers transport service almost free of cost at Rs10 only. Founded in 1951, it was located far from the city at that time and the government had provided a fleet of buses to pick and drop students from designated points, hence the name "Point" was coined.

In the rest of the educational institutions charge heavy sums for transport, for example, NED University students pay Rs30,000 per month for the university's bus service or use personal or public transport.

Fatal accident highlights negligence

Recently, the crisis turned tragic when a female student from the Social Work Department lost her life after slipping from a moving university bus. The incident sparked outrage among students, who demanded better safety and traffic management within the campus.

Vice Chancellor Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi announced financial assistance for the victim's family and said the case would be presented in the upcoming Syndicate meeting. A four-member inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the incident, and the driver involved has been suspended. The victim's family has declined to pursue police action, but the university administration is conducting an internal probe.

Before 2019, the university operated 18 transport points for students. After receiving new buses from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2018, the transport fleet was expanded.

In 2021, with additional funding from the federal government through the HEC, several more buses were made operational free of cost, while some non-functional ones were repaired and brought back into service. This increased the total number of functional buses to 30 for 47000 students. 

According to university officials, the number of students continues to rise each year, reaching approximately 47,000 at present. Daily maintenance is carried out on the buses, especially since many of them are older models from 1984, 1986, and 1992.

Maintenance costs can reach up to Rs300,000 per month, which the transportation department initially covers and later seeks reimbursement from the University.  

KU Transport In-Charge, Dildar, also noted that two buses were provided long ago by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) during Mustafa Kamal’s tenure. However, no new vehicles have been received from the KMC since then.

KU vice chancellor said that although an annual budget is allocated to the university, not a single rupee is specifically designated for transport services.