- Fuel shortages make jam-packed buses and trains sole option for many
Despite knowing about the grim state of affairs in the country, being cooped up at home adds a certain distance between the individual and the world they live in. However, photographs circulating online of buses and trains packed to the brim leave no doubt in one’s mind about just how bad the fuel shortage is in the country.
PHOTO PRADEEP DAMBARAGE
With remaining fuel stocks mostly limited to essential services, people have very few options when travelling, whether it is for work, grocery shopping, or other chores. It may feel like the country has come to a standstill, but people have responsibilities and duties that require them to travel, leaving one with no choice but to rely on public transport.
However, this is in addition to the already high number of people who use public transport regularly, especially to travel to and from work, resulting in overloaded buses that look like they cannot accommodate even one more passenger.
When asked about any safety concerns regarding overcrowded buses, Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne said: “The Government must take responsibility.”
“When they have no other option, people climb aboard the roof (of a bus) also. How can anyone stop this? There are no buses and people are helpless,” Wijeratne went on to say.
He explained that very few buses are running.
“In the midst of all this, they have increased the fare as well. How can you increase the fare when there are only 10% of buses running?” Wijeratne questioned.
Taking the bus to Colombo last week made it apparent that many people who previously didn’t rely on public transport regularly have no choice now but to take the train or bus to school or work, given the country’s dwindling fuel stocks.
The Morning Brunch reached out to a few people who have had to look at alternative modes of transport in recent times, given the fuel shortage, which has significantly affected the availability of cabs and three-wheelers and made travelling in one’s own vehicle nearly impossible.
Chantal Wickremesinghe shared with us that she used to travel by foot quite often prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, whether it was to the supermarket or bank, and took the bus for longer distances. However, she started relying more on three-wheelers and cabs after 2020 due to health concerns.
Now she has reverted to pre-pandemic habits and travels by foot to any place within walking distance. “I recently had to travel 50 km and back. A cab would have cost Rs. 9,000 for the round trip – that is if I was able to find one. Someone suggested the expressway bus, which cost less than Rs. 1,000 both ways, but was also much faster,” she said.
Hannah also shared that she has been walking a lot, even to her place of work. “In that sense I’m lucky because I live so close to work, but this is not the case for most people,” she said, adding: “But I have been catcalled so much, it’s making my general anger worse.”
Hannah went on to say that she waited on Galle Road for a long while for a bus a day ago, and the one bus that finally showed up was jam-packed. “Now with Covid-19 numbers rising, there was no way I was getting into that bus,” she said, adding that she was fortunate enough to finally hail a three-wheeler.
Kisalka shared that she used public transport a lot as a child, but once she started earning, she has been mainly using three-wheelers. “I made the switch back again this year because tuk prices pretty much tripled within the first six months of 2022. I didn’t use it as much before due to comfort reasons,” she said.
According to Kisalka, she hasn’t found buses that difficult or uncomfortable to use when they’re not crowded. “But when they are crowded, they are extremely difficult to use, especially being pressed up against everyone else. Since I made the switch back, I have noticed that buses are extra crowded now, mostly I think because many people don’t have more options now,” she added.