In a first, Myanmar’s largest city launches bus network to help cut commute time for millions
Myanmar launched a new public transport system in its largest city on Monday, for the first time introducing regular bus lines, timetables and salaries for drivers in a move that could transform the lives of some five million Yangon city dwellers.
I’m always trapped with a crowd of other passengers for at least one hour
The reform is the largest public-facing project with immediate impact on the city where country leader Aung San Suu Kyi won big in historic 2015 election, and a major test for her ability to meet the sky-high expectations of the public.
With parliamentary by-elections looming in April, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) has overhauled the chaotic network of some 4,000 rickety public transport vehicles, half of them in use for more than 20 years, according to government data.
The new system would also bring down and coordinate the number of bus lines to 61 from some 300.
The changes are aimed at reducing traffic and commute time of some two million commuters who have complained the buses are overcrowded, schedules unpredictable and driving unsafe.
One of them is Toe Toe, a 20-year-old female university student who on a recent afternoon boarded a packed bus in the city centre, clutching an old 200 Myanmar kyat (US$0.15) note for the bus fare in one hand and a lunchbox in the other.