No longer sweet

Standing at the bus-stop for hours on end has commuters questioning HCC’s new bus routes

BY JARED KOLI

THREE weeks after being implemented, the reality of Honiara City Council’s (HCC) long bus routes is kicking in.

People are lining up the bus-stops located between Central Market and White River, more so between the Central Market and KGVI.

While some are lucky to catch a ride after a few minutes, others are reported to wait for more than an hour before getting a lucky space.

It is obvious that buses are full from the main market right up to KGVI or White River – leaving the intending passengers in bus-stops along the way to be at the mercy of their lucky stars.

A long-time cab driver who was once a bus driver, Mr Hendry Bosa, said he “feels sorry” for these passenger having to wait for long to catch a bus to their destination.

“This has become an issue and if it continues as what we have witnessed, it could have a huge effect on our students who travel to school daily by bus.

“Students will be arriving late for classes, or they could not make it in time for important programmes such as school assembly and so forth.

“Nearly every bus stop remain full with passengers wanting to travel to their destination from mid-morning till late in the evening.”

Bosa was at the Honiara Central Market waiting to transport friends to Lungga when he was approached by Island Sun on Monday this week. He owns three cabs.

“People ask me to transport them to Lungga for $15 each, because they could not stand at bus stops for hours,” he told this paper in an interview besides his parked cab.

This paper during a visit to Panatina yesterday observed that a good number of people waiting at the Panatina Campus bus stop had to catch a bus to Lungga in order to find free seats on buses destined for Central Market, which the writer also did yesterday.

Some had even walked from Panatina to Pt Cruz as a result of the difficulties faced.

In the meantime, Bosa said HCC should reconsider the long bus routes it had imposed.

“It seems HCC does not care for these people,” he protested.

A bus driver in an impromptu interview yesterday, said it would be wise if HCC considers partitioning the main highway from White River to KGVI into three stops – the added point could be from Central Market to Kukum, and from there to KGVI.

HCC Communication Bureau was contacted yesterday on the matter. An official response should be given in due course.

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