The Shillong Public
Transport Service
(SPTS) buses have become a great way for commuting. Besides this, the Shillong Special Transport Service (SSTS) or the maxi taxis, have paved a way for transporting people all over the town. But! They all have one common problem- OVERLOAD!
Is it greed that makes them want to carry passengers more than the allotted number of seats??
Gluttony is a sin they say. Well looks like we’re all sinners! From Government officials to transportation. We just can’t seem to get enough. We just keep wanting more. But at what cost?
When travelling in these public transports one can’t even find a place to put one’s foot on the floor without stepping on someone. Let alone stepping on someone’s foot or getting stepped on by someone, the situation gets worse when creepy old men stand behind young girls and start sniffing their fresh shampooed hair or perfume.
It is evident that the buses take in passengers according to their will and wishes.
With a seating capacity of 24 seats, the SSTS buses somehow manage to always make space for more people without thinking about the ones that are already inside.
When asked commuters how they feel about our bus system, they had said that they don’t like the fact that it’s cramped up. Many school children, women and elderlies who commute by buses are the ones that suffer the most. Not having a place to sit nor stand. They also mentioned that the conductors and drivers of public transports should keep to their seating capacity. They get the passengers, the passengers get a place to sit comfortably. It’s a win-win situation. The seats meant for the specially abled, women and kids are also not spared. It’s understandable that people are tired, but sitting in cramped up public transports make matters worse.
However, bus conductors don’t seem to be interested in this, except for the fact that their buses are full and cramped up. They eventually keep taking in passengers while asking the already over clogged passengers to Rung Shapoh and Kham Shadien (go Inside and push back) to make way for the many more to enter. What can one say?? “The more the merrier?” False!
Be it in buses or Maxis, the situation is the same.
On Thursday it was evident that a bus from NEIGRIHMS to Bara Bazar had put more than fifty people comprising of both sitting and standing passengers. Even as most of them were patients who had gone to the institute for their medical check up. Well one can definitely say that they could probably get sick just from sitting in such crowded buses.
This phenomenon of over loading does not lie only with the SSTS but even with the SPTS buses and maxi taxis as well. On many occasions even the maxi taxis are seen over loading passengers. I have to say, if it were possible, they would make the passengers sit up on the roof too. These mode of transport are so overcrowded that they look like they’re about to explode!
The secretary of the Synroplang Self Helf Group, Judah Wahlang, who is operating the buses said that the congestion in the buses would reduce largely as some SPTS buses will be coming by the end of this month.
Reacting to a query, the official said if the buses accommodate passengers as per the sitting capacity, then the buses would not be able to sustain.
“Even now there is a paucity of public transport and we try our best to satisfy the requirement of the passengers,” he said.
He also asked people to call 9612165161 in case if they have any complaints with the functioning of the buses or rude behaviour of the bus operators and accordingly action will be taken against the conductor or driver.
One of the passenger while talking on the problem said, ” If they get a lot of passengers in a particular route, the frequency of the buses should be increased as it would be a major boon for the passengers besides it would also reduce the congestion in the buses.
It may be mentioned that the Urban Affairs is the nodal agency of the buses while It is being operated by the self help group.
(By Aafaque Hussain)