Bus Stops — And why they fail in Pakistan
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger information systems; less busy stops may use a simple pole and flag to mark the location. Bus stops are, in some locations, clustered together into transport hubs allowing interchange between routes from nearby stops and with other public transport modes to maximize convenience.
They have been in existence since the 17th to the 19th century, but unfortunately in our community and cities, they are still there for the sake of formality. It can be attributed to many of the things that will be addressed below.
Most working-class people can’t afford private vehicles hence they rely on public transport services. However, it is the privately-owned vehicles that dominate the transport services as the Karachi Transport Ittehad is a coalition of privately owned buses, taxis, and rickshaws.
Most use buses and minibusses since they are the least expensive model, with fares now Rs15 for 5km and Rs30 for 10–20km. These are expected to rise further due to increases in fuel prices.
As you can tell that drivers and daily wagers have gravitated to the small versions of transport to make more money and less invested into buses as they are not as cost-effective and do not bring in enough money either. Government response to the transport crisis in our metropolitan cities have been elaborate rapid bus transit cities, as it ‘looks’ good on the political portfolio and small changes to the bus stops and a regulatory body for bus increase capacity with designated lanes does not.
What is the bus stop in Pakistan mostly attributed to, is a place to come to rest. Some of the individuals that use this are drug addicts or beggars looking for a place to lie down or sleep. Some use them for meeting places. They are used for advertising as well, not regulated or formal ones but mostly plastered or spray paint vandalism. People also lose their wallets and mobile phones at bus stops, where many hold-ups are carried out. It is a grim communal structure.
Drivers of public buses in Pakistan never bother to wait for their passengers at the bus stops so there is hardly any point in waiting there. And it goes without saying that if you are on the bus, the driver will rarely stop on your call, even if you scream at the top of your voice.
Since these buses never really stop, you should be trained on how to board a moving bus, otherwise be ready for that painful, not to mention utterly humiliating, fall.
If two bus drivers decide to have a race and you are onboard one of them, then get ready to see your life flash before your eyes — not once but multiple times. On such occasions these drivers transform into ‘Need for Speed’ drivers; they accelerate and brake as if their lives depend on winning the race.
Be warned that such rides are not for the faint-hearted. Unfortunately, in these ego-driven races, their sharp turns and sudden brakes can become fatal.
Don’t ever forget, while aboard a Pakistani public bus, the driver is the king — if he decides that you will travel at virtually zero kilometers per hour, you will travel on that speed… no questions asked.
The video attached is one of the bus stops that was designed by one of my friends from India, with discussions on how it should work, with banners on the sides for designated Ads that will earn revenue, also have a fan since it mostly summers in Pakistan and also to promote standing there than to wait on unconventional areas.
The answer to changing the communities' response to bus stops have been pursued by the government in the sense of building centralized rapid bus services, was spending so much and accumulating debt on the investment, the way to go? we would never really care to find out — we tend to find solutions for problems by spending money we do not have and we do not try and find ways to educate the public’s sentiment towards walking and cycling.
