MPs are confident that even more passengers could be attracted to use Bahrain’s public transport buses with an increased focus on reliable services, extra stops and additional routes.
They are calling for a five-year action plan to be unveiled which everyone could get on board for a journey into the future.
The already popular service, which has reached 70 million passengers since it was introduced in the 1970s, will soon have to compete with the proposed new metro system, as well as private car use.
“Public transport is a vital service in the country that has seen a huge transformation over the years from when it started in the 1970s and where it is now,” said parliament’s public utilities and environment affairs committee vice chairman Ahmed Al Demistani.
“We are interested about keeping this service running for future generations through a five-year futuristic vision or blueprint that would see more bus stops and stations built or allocated, more buses introduced to the fleet, and even more reliable arrival and departure timings.”
Public buses in the 1970s
The buses are run by Bahrain Public Transport Company, a joint venture between the UK’s National Express and Ahmed Mansour Al Aali. It took over operations in 2015 and is set to continue operating the service until 2025.
New comfortable buses with free WiFi were an instant hit and all 141 buses were also designed to accommodate wheelchairs and passengers with restricted mobility issues.
The committee is now planning to meet with the ministry and the company over future arrangements to advance the public service.
It comes as the ministry signed an agreement with electronic payment company, Sadad, to offer a new payment service for passengers. Its board chairman Shaikh Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said the service will be provided at more than 1,000 self-payment machines across Bahrain, in addition to providing them through Sadad website and smart phone app.
“This co-operation will contribute to reaching different segments of society by providing a new channel for service; refill tickets and electronic transfer.”
The fare is 250 fils for the single ticket in the GO Card for all passengers for any single trip, no matter how long it is, and 600 fils for daily use. Weekly tickets are BD3 and monthly BD12.
The ministry’s land transport and post under-secretary Sami Buhazza revealed that bus services continued to attract ‘great demand’ and the total number of passengers since the service’s operation started had reached nearly 70m, with an average daily usage of 32,000.
“This co-operation will contribute to reaching different segments of society by providing a new channel for service; refill tickets and electronic transfer,” he added.
MPs agree that the current operator has already introduced some interesting services like the Bahrain International Airport express service called ‘Airlink’ which runs every 20 minutes to Manama but would like to see more.
“Why not expand to have it cover King Fahad Causeway or Khalifa Bin Salman Port too?” asked Al Demistani, adding that free Wi-Fi and reasonable fares have been instrumental in attracting passengers.
“Despite operation expenses going up, the company has maintained excellent onboard services,” he said.
“The issue is now more about better accessibility of the services, especially for those living in villages being able to reach the nearest station or bus stop with ease,” he added.
“Timings sometimes vary, and this needs to change as punctuality really counts. A minute of tardiness, is tardiness.
“But even when the metro gets built in the next few years, bus services will continue being a cheaper and viable option. It all depends on what’s next to keep and attract more passengers.”
Punctuality problems, one driver told the GDN, were sometimes out of the hands of the operator because of heavy traffic and a lack of ‘bus only’ lanes on highways and ignorant motorists parking their cars in bus stops blocking entry and exits.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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