KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Kabul city residents complain about the lack of an organized and proper intra-city public transport system, while officials say they have taken some measures in this regard.
Pajhwok Afghan News talked to a number of Kabul residents in different areas about the issue. Some said public transport buses are available in some areas, but others said they have to hire a taxi due to the lack of public transport vehicles or walk long distances to reach buses.
Most residents said the city has been lacking a regular transport system since five decades, but the city at that time had a regular public transport system.
Maryam, a resident of Khairkhana area, complained about the lack of public transport in their area. “There are some routes where buses and mini vans ply the roads and charge low fares, but on other routes like ours in Khairkhana, only taxis are available that too in less numbers compared to the population of our area”.
She added: “A small number of mini vans ply the Khairkhana route. I cough up 100 afs daily to reach my job”. She urged the government to address the issue.
Zakia Ibrahimi, a resident of Pul-i-Padshah area of Kabul city, has a similar complaint. She said: “After the construction of Macro Rayan- Arzan Qimat road, no attention was paid to its transport system so we face many problems”.
As buses, vans and taxis are not accessible on this route, the residents have to cover long distances on their feet, she complained.
Najmia Kakar, a resident of Khoshhal Khan area, said buses did not operate in their area and the only vehicles that operated there were vans and taxis. She recalled five decades ago the city had a regular transportation system. “With the passage of time, all the buses (public transport buses) disappeared”.
Residents who talked to Pajhwok urged the relevant departments to take measures to address the issue of lack of public transport.
Imamuddin Ahmadi, Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry spokesman, said: “We have taken some steps to reorganize the city public transport and we want to the private sector to join us”.
“We have also hired traffic controllers and have offered them a special uniform. Some such officers are already working in different parts of the city like Cinema Pamir, Murad Khani and other areas. The traffic controllers make timetables for vehicles to ply special routes according to a special arrangement”.
Nimatullah Barakzai, the spokesperson of Kabul municipality, said currently 20 buses operated in Cinema Pamir, Arzan Qimat, Maidan Hawai and some other areas.
He added: “We have a plan for 16 routes of the city where some other buses which will arrive in future will operate”. He stressed that all the problems will be addressed according the needs of the residents of Kabul city.
aw/ma
