Address public transport issues

IT is time authorities get serious with ensuring service providers deliver services of a certain standard.
This does especially for public transport.
All public transport owners must bring their buses and taxis up to standard or they would be taken off the road.
And the service must be good, safe, clean and efficient for the people to use.
Bus owners have been put on notice to ensure the buses are roadworthy, lights working, brake lights working and registered properly.
This sector has not been given much attention by authorities allowing providers to get away with the sub-standard service provided.
This time round, they are now under the radar.
Western Highlands commander Chief Superintendent Joe Puri was reported this week saying the filthiest people in the private sector are public transport drivers who have no respect for their job.
He said the driving licence was a certificate for employment and driving was a secondary employment to some people in some countries but drivers in the Highlands did not care.
“They should wash and dress neatly.
“Instead, they wear the same old dirty clothes with their mouths full of betel nuts and some cigarettes while driving.
“One thing I discovered in my short stay in the province is that all PMV drivers are racing to overtake each other on the new freeway even when two vehicles are running parallel and this is a great concern.”
Public transport is crucial to the livability of any city.
You do not have to drive far to see that these bus drivers have become kings of the road through their reckless actions on the road – not stopping at designated bus stops, sudden stop with no indication on, you find most buses lights are not working especially after 6pm, passengers almost tipping over in a broken seat and the list goes on.
The current system in the cities allow bus/taxi owners and operators to dictate how they operate – whether they complete their route, provide service along the designated routes or pull of their service if and when they want it. We stand to be corrected but we are probably the only country in the world currently operating this system.
Most countries have a public transport services which are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.
National Capital District Commission (NCDC) is expected to launch its public bus transport service this week.
A statement from NCDC says they are addressing city residents’ call for a better public transport alternative.
If this becomes a reality, all PMV buses and taxis must be operated by NCDC and the owners of these vehicles could become subcontractors.
There should be standard colour and design, rules and regulations, routes and CCTV.
Lae city authorities should do the same so there is uniformity in the countries two top cities.
PMV numbers have increased and so too passenger numbers.
But the running of the PMVs have remained unreliable and quite frankly erratic.
A city without public transport is a city that regularly grinds to a halt.
It is time for public bus service providers to be accountable.
When we make people accountable for their actions, we are teaching them to value their work.
When done right, accountability can increase the bus operator’s skills and confidence in handling issues professionally.
Providing good quality public service is a challenge but if everyone works together, it can be achieved.