Providing quality public service a challenge

IT is time authorities get serious about ensuring service providers deliver services of a certain standard.
Especially when it comes to public transport.
The stand taken by Lae’s metropolitan superintendent is the way forward.
All public motor vehicle owners in Lae have been given seven days to bring their buses up to standard or the vehicles would be taken off the road. And the service must be good, safe, clean and efficient for 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 the bauthorities, allowing providers to get away with the sub-standard service provided.
Now they are now under the radar.
Public transport is crucial to any city.
It is now time for the responsible authority in Port Moresby to do the same.
You do not have to drive far to see that these bus drivers have become kings of the road through their reckless actions – not stopping at designated bus stops, stopping suddenly without indicating, lights not working especially after 6pm, broken seats, and the list goes on.
The current system in the cities allow bus and taxi owners and operators to dictate how they operate – whether they complete their route, provide service along the designated routes or pull their service if and when they want it.
We stand to be corrected but we are probably the only country in the world operating a system like this.
Most countries have public transport bus services which are generally based on the regular operation of transit buses along a route and calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.
NCD Governor Powes Parkop has talked about adopting the overseas public transport model where public transport is run by the government.
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 designs, rules and regulations, routes and CCTV.
Lae city authorities should do the same so there is uniformity in the country’s two top cities.
PMV numbers have increased and so too have passenger numbers. But the running of the PMVs have remained unreliable and, quite frankly, erratic.
It was announced last year that the country’s public transport system will come under scrutiny when legislation is passed before Apec 2018.
The bill will see the issuing of licences, monitoring, and especially the way PMVs and taxis are operated in a city which is long overdue.
Unfortunately, nothing much has transpired.
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.