Catching a bus in Cairo may soon become easier after the introduction of new red rollers, Reem Leila reports For tens of thousands of Egyptians taking a public bus in Cairo every day is not easy. Neither is getting out of one. Old buses do not usually provide passengers with enough space or a comfortable trip while rolling over Cairo's bumpy roads. Other bus-related woes include the atrocious state in which so many buses are in, suffering everything from a lack of cleanliness to an excess of exhaust and fumes emitted from them. All these problems, officials like to say, will be solved within the coming period. The government has finally decided to ease this daily agonising trip by introducing a new batch of bright red buses. The newly introduced shiny vehicles on Cairo's streets can take at least 50 seated passengers. The grey seats match with the bus's grey interior, though they have started to become slightly dirty but not yet torn. The driver, who is amazingly wearing a clean uniform, the colour grey, with a name tag, is constantly urging people not to misuse the bus. "Kindly do not use objects to scratch the bus's walls or tear its seats," the bus driver politely requests. A government plan aims at introducing 1,100 red public buses for LE1 billion over the next three years to gradually replace the current 2,800 buses. Replaced buses will be terminated. The first phase began on 29 April when 200 new buses worth LE130 million debuted on Cairo's streets. The second phase includes introducing 300 extra buses by November, while 300 others will be replaced annually over the next two years. Salah Farag, chairman of the Cairo Transportation Authority (CTA), said the project also includes a plan concerning human resources development for employees in CTA as well as setting up training programmes for administrative employees and drivers. CTA has concluded a two-year agreement worth LE30 million with the importing company for regular maintenance for this year's 500 buses. "Drivers are not yet trained on fixing any sudden malfunction in any of the buses," Farag said. Cairo is one of the world's largest cities with a high population density which causes traffic congestion throughout most hours of the day. The CTA aims at putting an end to the jams by encouraging employees, middle class and upper middle class people to use public buses instead of their private cars. "The new red buses are of a German brand and its chairs are placed over air cushions instead of the old coil spring system to make them more comfortable for passengers," Farag stated. The environment was taken into consideration. "The engines are environment friendly as they are designed to operate according to the Euro-three system which emits less fumes and exhaust similar to that produced by vehicles fuelled by natural gas." The buses, which commute for 20 hours per day, are undergoing daily maintenance at the authority's garages in order to preserve them for the longest possible period. Farag, who calls on the public to properly use the new buses, said the fare is LE1. "This is instead of the old 50 piastres. Passengers will have full freedom to either take the new bus with its new tariff or stick with the old ones which only cost them half a pound," said Farag. The 1,100 buses will be driven in Cairo, Giza, Helwan, 6 October and Qalioubiya governorates. "Fifty per cent of each fleet for each destination will comprise new red buses," Farag stressed. "Red buses will serve drivers, passengers, the look of our streets, and auto companies," Hassan Othman, a new red bus driver, said, describing the CTA's project of replacing Cairo's old buses. The 46-year-old driver praises the plan for saving him all the troubles associated with the old buses. "Apart from all the technical problems I had to deal with every day, I got into fights with many passengers for various reasons," Othman added. He admitted that he had to fix the old buses when they regularly broke down. But won't the relatively high cost of the new vehicles prevent many people from riding them? "Passengers getting on the new buses are respectable people. They don't fight like those on the old buses," he added. Some drivers, like Othman, were not yet sure whether the new buses would attract the same number of passengers like the old ones. "On my first day of work I was sceptical, believing that people would go for the old green buses because they're cheaper, but I was surprised that I got nearly as many passengers but of a better class of people," driver Mohamed Adel said. He added that the new buses are not as crowded as the old green ones. For Adel, this is better "so that we can keep it in good shape for a longer time". The plan is part of another comprehensive project which aims at encouraging private sector investors to introduce at least 1,500 more air-conditioned buses at a higher charge. Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir told the press that he was preparing a plan to develop human resources of CTA workers, public transport and to create training programmes for managers. All drivers and conductors will be provided with uniforms. Ibrahim Ali, a red bus driver, said they had not yet been trained on them. "We keep hearing from our bosses and CTA officials that we will be trained, but nothing has happened until now. They just asked us a few questions to make sure we have basic information about buses, machinery and mechanics." At the same time, many passengers hope the red buses will remain as they are now: clean and tidy. "Before the new buses, I used to use my private car. I decided to try one today to see whether I will be able to use them in the future. If they continue to be clean, definitely I will," said Gihad Abdel-Tawab, a mathematics school teacher. While Abdel-Tawab is excited about the new buses, Ebtsam Ahmed, a government employee, is not. "I cannot afford the fare of the new bus. I cannot pay LE60 per month for transportation since my salary is only LE550 and I have three children," argued Ahmed. "These buses are not for us. My fate is with the old green ones." The new buses, according to officials, will certainly help in reducing traffic jams and decreasing air pollution. The bus replacement project might lead to the government replacing the old microbus, upgrading all publicly used vehicles.
