Lae residents raise concerns over public transport

By GABRIEL LAHOC
LAE residents have raised concerns that authorities in Morobe have failed to monitor and control the city’s public transport sector .
They said the public motor vehicle industry was continuously breaching business regulations.
A random interview of people found interesting feedback but most PMV operators, who were approached, refused to comment.
The majority of the buses used as PMVs are Toyota Coasters, with a sitting capacity of 25 and the industry is dominated by operators from Western Highlands and Southern Highlands.
The two most common concerns of residents are the poor state of buses and the areas that operators used as their bases.
“Obviously most of the PMVs are not worthy to be on the roads and I still don’t believe our authorities such as, the transport board, put up roadblocks week in week out,” an employed father of four, who catches the bus everyday with his family members, said.
“Common sense will tell you that every business entity has a place from which it operates.
“For the PMV operators they go back to their own homes wherever in Lae that may be,” a Chimbu mother living in West Taraka, said.
Another huge concern is the poor qualification of drivers, who generally work their way up from being the ‘bus-crew’.
Morobe Governor Kelly Naru gave an assurance after his election this year that the transport board under the provincial government would be overhauled.
This system will eventually see more Morobe businessmen becoming PMV operators, while a limit will be set for PMV operators not from the province.
The new chairman of commerce and industry in the provincial executive council, John Yawa, could not be reached for comment.