Passenger harassment for schedule irregularities

Legal actions have to be taken against those snatching away our valuable time everyday unethically just for backing up their business

It is neither for traffic jam nor for natural calamities even not for strikes or clashes, a huge number of the long distance buses and coaches hardly adhere to the schedules mentioned on tickets. Upon investigation, it is known that just for not selling all the tickets of the buses in question, local management stationed in the respective terminals intentionally delays the schedule departure of these buses. What is more disappointing is the fact that this type of schedule irregularity is not just a chance occurrence. Rather, almost all travelling passengers routinely experience this type of irritating time-consuming hassle especially those taking a long route journey. My prime concern here lies in the sheer negligence on the part of the bus and coach management who openly assert their extreme audacity towards the travelling passengers. The scenario is more or less the same across the country.

Barring the cases of the local buses, the schedules of mail and express buses and coaches can, in no way, be concerned with any issue absolutely intended to serve just the monetary gains of the management. It is understood that the management of the long distance public buses and coaches which by nature avoid local roadside stops will strictly follow their declared departure schedule as well as arrival time for the greater interest of the passengers.

Excluding greater Barisal and some parts of Khulna division, passengers from the rest of the country overwhelmingly use land routes for travelling. More than 60% of all the passengers taking to travelling use land transports for reaching their destinations. Naturally, the pledged facilities and conveniences of the passengers are to be ensured by the concerned bus or coach service-providers since the passengers are buying the service spending their hard-earned money. Only a few exclusive long route buses maintain the schedules promised to the passengers. However, these buses cover only 4% to 5% of the total number of passengers carried. In terms of value assessment, time comes next to only life by whatever criterion we judge it. Legal actions have to be taken against those snatching away our valuable time everyday unethically just for backing up their business.

Only recently in my return journey from Dhaka, I had to wait nearly one hour beyond the schedule time of my journey at the Kalyanpur Bus Terminal. The shuttle bus intended to give us a short lift to the mother coach arrived at the scene almost on time. We, the outgoing waiting passengers, gladly boarded the shuttle coaster. This is where our odyssey actually begins. The bus was on the start and the driver was in seemingly ready mood of leaving the station. One by one 30 minutes passed by but the bus didn’t move an inch. Meanwhile, the coaster turned off the start and the driver got down at an unconscious moment.

When one among us stood up to protest the delay, the helper on duty picked an altercation that rapidly created a violent situation. Anyway, the situation somehow cooled down with our interference. However, the alarming aftermath that I noticed immediately afterwards is really alarming. When the protesting young guy got down to have a cup of tea from a nearby tea-stall, the organized gang working for the management surrounded him immediately and insulted him rudely right before us. We, the passengers unknown to one another, were naturally disorganized and helpless and could do nothing in his rescue. We did really understand that protest in the terminals means nothing but heavy cost to be paid by the passengers. If such is the real picture in a bus terminal then it is the issue of security and honour of the passengers that matter most here.

Nobody is beyond the jurisdiction of accountability according to the civilized norms. It is quite naturally expected that there is, of course, an authority from the end of the government to monitor the schedules of arrivals and departures of the outgoing as well as incoming buses and coaches around the terminals. If untoward incidents like the one mentioned above happen to be the regular phenomenon in our bus terminals then where the general passengers will stand for safe custody. Keeping schedules properly and responsibly is absolutely a civilized norm to be followed by the bus service-providers. But if they reset their schedules at their own sweet will then it is matter of serious concern for the travelling passengers. At least, in a sovereign state like ours gross passenger harassment by dint of schedule tampering will have to be treated as a criminal offence.

Innumerable instances of violent clashes between the transport workers and the passengers are there in our store to cite. Similarly, on uncountable occasions, the transport workers locked in violent clashes with the students on the issue of fare concession. The behaviour track records of the transport workers compellingly show that they are unruly, uncontrolled horde of rude people. Though in forms and fashions they simulate to be polite in their get-up, the real nature inside them is still alive and active. So it is far from being reasonable to believe this tremendously powerful pressure group to be tamed so easily.

     

The writer, Assistant

Professor of English in

Bogra Cantonment Public School & College, is a contributor to

The Independent.

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Passenger harassment for schedule irregularities

Legal actions have to be taken against those snatching away our valuable time everyday unethically just for backing up their business

It is neither for traffic jam nor for natural calamities even not for strikes or clashes, a huge number of the long distance buses and coaches hardly adhere to the schedules mentioned on tickets. Upon investigation, it is known that just for not selling all the tickets of the buses in question, local management stationed in the respective terminals intentionally delays the schedule departure of these buses. What is more disappointing is the fact that this type of schedule irregularity is not just a chance occurrence. Rather, almost all travelling passengers routinely experience this type of irritating time-consuming hassle especially those taking a long route journey. My prime concern here lies in the sheer negligence on the part of the bus and coach management who openly assert their extreme audacity towards the travelling passengers. The scenario is more or less the same across the country. Barring the cases of the local buses, the schedules of mail and express buses and coaches can, in no way, be concerned with any issue absolutely intended to serve just the monetary gains of the management. It is understood that the management of the long distance public buses and coaches which by nature avoid local roadside stops will strictly follow their declared departure schedule as well as arrival time for the greater interest of the passengers. Excluding greater Barisal and some parts of Khulna division, passengers from the rest of the country overwhelmingly use land routes for travelling. More than 60% of all the passengers taking to travelling use land transports for reaching their destinations. Naturally, the pledged facilities and conveniences of the passengers are to be ensured by the concerned bus or coach service-providers since the passengers are buying the service spending their hard-earned money. Only a few exclusive long route buses maintain the schedules promised to the passengers. However, these buses cover only 4% to 5% of the total number of passengers carried. In terms of value assessment, time comes next to only life by whatever criterion we judge it. Legal actions have to be taken against those snatching away our valuable time everyday unethically just for backing up their business. Only recently in my return journey from Dhaka, I had to wait nearly one hour beyond the schedule time of my journey at the Kalyanpur Bus Terminal. The shuttle bus intended to give us a short lift to the mother coach arrived at the scene almost on time. We, the outgoing waiting passengers, gladly boarded the shuttle coaster. This is where our odyssey actually begins. The bus was on the start and the driver was in seemingly ready mood of leaving the station. One by one 30 minutes passed by but the bus didnt move an inch. Meanwhile, the coaster turned off the start and the driver got down at an unconscious moment. When one among us stood up to protest the delay, the helper on duty picked an altercation that rapidly created a violent situation. Anyway, the situation somehow cooled down with our interference. However, the alarming aftermath that I noticed immediately afterwards is really alarming. When the protesting young guy got down to have a cup of tea from a nearby tea-stall, the organized gang working for the management surrounded him immediately and insulted him rudely right before us. We, the passengers unknown to one another, were naturally disorganized and helpless and could do nothing in his rescue. We did really understand that protest in the terminals means nothing but heavy cost to be paid by the passengers. If such is the real picture in a bus terminal then it is the issue of security and honour of the passengers that matter most here. Nobody is beyond the jurisdiction of accountability according to the civilized norms. It is quite naturally expected that there is, of course, an authority from the end of the government to monitor the schedules of arrivals and departures of the outgoing as well as incoming buses and coaches around the terminals. If untoward incidents like the one mentioned above happen to be the regular phenomenon in our bus terminals then where the general passengers will stand for safe custody. Keeping schedules properly and responsibly is absolutely a civilized norm to be followed by the bus service-providers. But if they reset their schedules at their own sweet will then it is matter of serious concern for the travelling passengers. At least, in a sovereign state like ours gross passenger harassment by dint of schedule tampering will have to be treated as a criminal offence. Innumerable instances of violent clashes between the transport workers and the passengers are there in our store to cite. Similarly, on uncountable occasions, the transport workers locked in violent clashes with the students on the issue of fare concession. The behaviour track records of the transport workers compellingly show that they are unruly, uncontrolled horde of rude people. Though in forms and fashions they simulate to be polite in their get-up, the real nature inside them is still alive and active. So it is far from being reasonable to believe this tremendously powerful pressure group to be tamed so easily. The writer, Assistant Professor of English in Bogra Cantonment Public School College, is a contributor to The Independent. E-mail: [email protected]