20 August, 2008

Messiness of Urban Public transportation in Amman

هذه التدوينة متوفرة أيضاً باللغة العربية هنا


I've wrote once before, in another post, on another occasion how did the Urban Public Transportation in Amman became "Worse Than Ever".

That is, apart from much other occasions writing about urban public transportation in Amman, always depending on personal experiences or related people's experiences.

And the story continues, and Messier than ever, and even on the most important routes in the capital operated by the CMTC, and even in front of the management and owners of the CMTC.

Time: Yesterday, 19-8-2008. at 4:19 PM
Place: Amman, Al-Haramein intersection (Al-Kilo), specifically at the Bus Station on Mecca Street before the intersection, on the southern edge of the road (pretty much adjacent to Abu Khader Automotive building, where the management offices of the CMTC are located).

2 Routes pass by that bus station, Medical City – Raghadan (Route Nr 43), and The Western Circular Route (Nr 59).

At that very moment i reached the station, there were around 10 people and counting.

4:26 PM
At the station there are around 15 individuals, a bus working on route 43 reaches the station (which was for the note, 1 of the newly introduced 116 Mercedes Elba buses, and had the digital route display TURNED OFF!), people wave for him to stop, and nothing, the bus continues while passing just by them!!! The bus seats were full, and some people were standing, but there was space for more standing people. Some waiting passengers were upset, others decided to take a taxi.

4:40 PM
15 – 17 people waiting at the station, as some people appeared, and others left by Taxis, far away in the street a bus on Route 43 appears, but when getting closer it decides to get through the tunnel under the intersection.... The waiting passengers started laughing ironically on their situation.

4:45 PM
A bus working on the Western Circular route (Nr 59), which i was waiting for, reaches the station. That is, after 25 minutes of waiting a bus whose frequency is said to be 15 minutes, and the rest of the passengers remained there waiting for the Raghadan bus which is said to have a frequency of 10 minutes.... in addition to another 7 individuals waiting for the same bus in the bus station situated after the intersection, who i saw while my bus was turning left at the round about.

All of this, just off the windows of the Comprehensive Multiple Transportation Company, whose buses were being waited by those people.

As a passenger, as well as person interested in the Ammani public transportation industry and service, and a user of it.... I don't need any more High-tech, i don't need no Smart nor Stupid card systems (which you have been promoting for over a year now with slow progress of implementation), I don't need Urban and environment friendly buses, nor ones on European standards. Nor i need beautiful painting that fakes out the truth behind the vehicle bodies branded catchy-ly as “autobus”

All I want is commitment and respect... without it, all the above are CRAP!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think these people care about punctuality? do you think they comprehend the magnitude of their incompetence? do you think people who run these government agencies (and who will never take public transportation) give a damn?

you are living in a country run by a government with no controls, no sense of responsibility, no professionalism, no decency, no nothing. other than state security and tax collection, jordan has the most fucked up government. that was never the case until a few years ago.

nasimjo said...

Same, I dunno what does what i wrote relate to what you wrote!!!

All the public transportation all around jordan is run by private companies, and not by governmental agencies. and i guess this is part of the problem!!!

The Urban public transportation in Amman should be ran by someone like the Greater Amman Municipality, and not by private companies, the CMTC is a private company. thus i dont know what is the point again behind your comment!!!

Haytham said...

Nasim .. thank you for touching one of the points does hurt me in person and does harm the whole society ...
Yes it is crap, and it is useless to think in the European way while we can't apply the logical way ... don't you think, it become a trend in Jordan to apply everything as Europe ... come on people think in a solutions that fit us not them.

we are not waiting for showing off, we are waiting for fixing up.

and to be honest , i hate the concept of Denationalizing everything ... we are holding the slogan Jordan first .. and we respect, but the question is what remaining in Jordan for the Jordanians.

i think that GAM have to do something, not speeches , not articles but action...

thanks Nasim.

Ali Dahmash said...

Honest words from a concerned citizen, what you said is true