Move now Port Moresby or you’ll miss the bus

Port Moresby needs an affordable and reliable transport service.
The current system in the city allows bus and taxi owners and operators to dictate the terms – whether to complete the route, provide service on the route or pull out the service altogether when it suits them.
Several instances has seen operators pull their services off the road in protest.
You do not have to drive far to see that bus drivers have become kings of the road through their reckless actions – not stopping at bus stops, stopping suddenly without indicating, lights not working, passengers facing the risk of falling over when they get into a broken seat, and the list goes on.
While we appreciate the services being provided under the current system and under available resources, it is time for reforms to move the city forward.
Calls by NCD Governor Powes Parkop this week for a review of the current system is long overdue.
Parkop has been advocating for a model where public transport is run by the Government.
In modern municipalities, city buses run to a strict schedule and follow specific routes with designated stops along the way. The service sticks to a timetable and the buses are never late and are clean and safe.
For NCDC, the timing is perfect, with buses donated by China for Apec work becoming available after the leaders’ meeting next month. These buses should get the ball rolling for an affordable, reliable and efficient transport system.
Several years ago, the Brisbane City Council donated 10 used 40-seater buses to the National Capital District Commission. Those buses were able to carry 15 more passengers than the current PMVs and their donation seemed to suggest that NCDC was leaning towards managing the entire public transport system in the city itself. Unfortunately, nothing transpired from that.
As the country’s capital, Port Moresby should have a modern transport system, even if only because a good transport system is vital to a city’s development. And although a city-run bus system will come with its own set of challenges in terms of capacity, reliability and delivery, the challenges can be overcome by technology and customer-focused approach.
One question that stands out is whether NCDC has the capacity to make this system work. The answer, perhaps, lies in an invitation not so long ago for interested parties to make an offer to run the city bus service. Then nothing more was heard of it.
Perhaps as discussions on the service is heating up again, the city can give everyone an update on the response to that invitation and what has happened since then.
It is also important that as we push for a modern public transport system, we should ensure that whatever system we adopt guarantees the safety of vulnerable people, including women and girls.
A city without public transport is a city that can easily grind to a halt, and that is a possible next stop for Port Moresby if nothing is done. Now.