Muscat: The roads of Oman will see red buses again as per the latest decision from the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology to resume public transport services.
According to the details released by the Ministry, as per the approved decision by the Supreme Committee, the public transport services between cities will begin from September 27 and within Muscat from October 4, and within Salalah from October 18 while the services within Suhar will be announced later by the authorities.
“I think it is great news to have the public transport back because it is very useful for the members who do not have their own transport. If safety measures are taken in an appropriate manner such as safety distance and sanitisation of the buses are taken care of then there is nothing like it. I think it is a blessing,” said Arvin Sampat, a member of the business community.
Dawood Riyami opines that Mwasalat can actually help in eliminating congestion in high density areas however he feels there should be caution.
“It is a critical situation to be in – to assure the safety of the public during this pandemic period. My opinion is it would be safe enough if we strictly follow the precautions as public transportation is a place of high level interactions. The best thing is the buses can really make an impact in lifestyle – they are spread out, they are convenient and easily accessible which is highly beneficial when you are in cities and most importantly we can save on fuel expenditure.
"Public transportation can also reduce traffic if people opt to park and use the public transport system. I really think we would even bring down pollution,” pointed out Dawood.
“Resuming public transport is definitely a good initiative, especially while rolling back businesses along with the new norms; it surely helps people who regularly commute through public transport, which has been instrumental in many ways. Generally the compliance from both the citizens and residents are much to be appreciated, we are in this together as one. Once again appreciate all the concerned authorities who have been tirelessly working hard to bring back normality in the new age times,” explained Vivek Arcot Ramesh.
The move is going to make a major difference for commuters who solely depend on public transport.
Tippu Bhomik said, “Once the public transport begins commuting to work will be easier because it is cheaper than taxis. It is also safer in the bus because there will be distance between the passengers unlike taxis.”
Mohammed Siddiq who totally depends on public transportation said, “There is a lot of excitement although there might be a bit of fear initially but we have to move forward."
There is a relief expressed by the general public who do not possess personal vehicles with the announcement of opening up of public transportation. A segment of the general public was also using the public transport to commute to the airport.
Meanwhile, the orange taxi drivers say even otherwise the pandemic period has been extremely challenging and there is hardly any income. The public transport bus stand lies vacant without a single passenger except for the last lane designated for the orange taxis. Nasser al Saadi, Rashid al Sunaidi and Ashraf al Siyabi have parked their taxis and have been waiting for potential passengers.
“Taxi business is almost gone as there are very few passengers,” said Rashid al Sunaidi. But every day they try and at 3.30 pm they were sitting under the shade discussing the latest developments while waiting for passengers. Nasser al Saadi said, “Many companies are still closed or are working from home. If we do not have the passengers how can we purchase the petrol? There are not many people out there. Still we continue to be positive and hopeful.”
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
