I would like to highlight an issue that merits the authorities’ serious and urgent attention: Karachi’s dilapidated public transport system. While the other cities have drastically improved their transport systems — for example, Lahore’s Metro bus service — Karachi, despite being a metropolis, severely lacks a respectable public transport system for its citizens. It is getting worse with each passing day and there’s no ray of hope in this regard. The sight of the people hanging on the rickety buses’ footsteps is quite off-putting, making them vulnerable to potentially fatal accidents.
If Karachi had a decent public transport system, I, for one, would not have to take my car to my workplace every day. I have travelled by these shabby and unsafe buses a few times and have no qualms in saying that commuting by them is nothing short of drudgery. Being pushed and jostled by the people inside is disgusting, leaving one to wonder if one will ever see any semblance of a good transport system in this mega city. There is no other issue more pressing in this city than the public transport system. I strongly urge the relevant authorities to take serious notice of the problem and take steps to solve it as soon as possible.
GOHAR ISHRAT
Karachi
Published in Daily Times, April 24th 2018.