Karachi – a megacity which is home to at least 15 million people with some circles disputing the figures, saying that its population is well over 20 million – is without a proper transport system. However, even the limited facilities available for the Karachiites have been closed.

In this connection, 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday reported that the very few Green CNG and air-conditioned buses the city had were not running since the closure of service after the imposition of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It happened in March. But months have passed since the lockdown was lifted. Perhaps the Karachiites do not deserve a quality transport service. However, no one knows what the reason is. Is it lack of funds or something else?

The service covered busy routes – the Green (CNG) Bus Service from Gulshan-e-Hadeed and the AC buses from Dawood Chowrangi to Merewether Tower, commonly known as Tower.

Although there were only 36 CNG and 10 AC buses, the citizens say the vehicles were of great quality and had made the journey comfortable, as they demanded immediate reopening of the two routes.

The lack of public transport has become a serious issue for the millions of Karachiites. Irshad Bokhari – the head of the transporters’ main representative body – says the city currently has only 3,000 buses. In 2010, the total stood at 25,000.   

In April 2018, the then transport minister Nasir Hussain Shah had claimed that the private company would initially launch 50 AC buses. However, there has been no addition to since its inauguration over two-and-a-half years ago. 

Commenting on the state of affairs, Bloomberg, in a report last month, said, “Karachi ranks as having the worst public transport system globally, according to a 2019 study by car-parts company Mister Auto that looked at 100 major cities. It serves about 42% of Karachi’s commuters, relying on decades-old, overcrowded buses that use the roof as a second deck for passengers at times.”