ISLAMABAD: The work day has just ended and people are streaming out of office buildings in Blue Area, walking briskly towards the Stock Exchange Metro Bus station to make their way home. It’s only been two weeks since its inauguration, and the marble floors of the station shine underneath the fluorescent lights.

Asim is one of the many sweepers on duty, mopping the floors. “I am very happy to be hired to work at a Metro Bus Station. I used to drive a rickshaw before this and there were no fixed working hours. Now I have an eight hour shift and I ride the Metro to work every morning from Chandni Chowk. When people see how clean the stations are, they don’t litter and give us a thumbs-up as they walk-by or tell us to keep up the good work. It’s a good feeling,” he says.

The computerised ticketing machine is out of order and over a dozen people are crowded around the counter, buying tickets. But there is a separate line for women and for Rs20, a dime-sized yellow token is pressed into one’s palm.

The bus arrives promptly and a number of men and women make their way aboard it. Apart from the women’s seats up front, the rest of bus is packed like a box of sardines and nearly everyone is standing.

Hina Jawad holds on to the railing at the front of the bus. She tells Dawn she has been riding the bus every day since its inauguration. “I work at an airline office in Blue Area. I used to come to Islamabad on public transport vans, which were very unreliable. There were no fixed timings and as a woman, I felt quite harassed travelling on those cramped vans. But even though the metro bus is far more convenient, there are never enough seats,” she says.

Metro driver says joy-riders, sight-seers main reason for overcrowding on buses

The bus makes its way towards the Centaurus Station and at least a dozen more men, women and children climb aboard. Most women are dressed up for the occasion, wearing heels and makeup. a trip on the metro is the new weekend family pass-time.

(L to R) Mohammad Imran looks at passengers in the rear-view mirror; Noreen and Noorulain enjoy their first ride; and, a view of the jam-packed men’s section of the bendy bus. — Photos by the writer

The driver keeps requesting women to move towards the front, but there is barely any room. Passengers squeeze together and the air-conditioner seems to be giving up. But the joy-riders, those who are taking the bus to sight-see, keep peering excitedly out the windows.

Among them is a group of schoolteachers in a jovial mood. “We got on the metro from 6th Road after school and came to mall. We had a lot of fun,” says Noreen Wasif.

“I feel like I am in a Hollywood movie,” she adds with a laugh.

Another teacher, Noorulain Aziz says the metro is much cheaper than taxis. “We never thought the metro bus would be so useful. My mother is a cancer patient and we used to spend Rs1000 every time my mother had an appointment at the NORI Hospital in G-8. Yesterday, we spent a fraction of that riding the metro,” she says.

The children are especially excited. At the front, a family is clicking pictures of the track with their cell-phones. “We came from Peshawar just to ride the metro,” says a woman, trying to manage her mischievous children.

The excitement grows as the bus enters a long tunnel before the Ibne Sina station. “Oh, the eye of the camera is watching you. Nawaz Sharif is watching you,” a boy quips from the back, drawing laughter from everyone on board.

At the Potohar station in I-8, a few students get on the bus. Among them is Beenish Mumtaz. “We just took our BCom exam at the Girls’ Degree College on IJP Road and are now riding the metro home to Saddar. It is convenient for our parents because they don’t have to drop us to the exam centre anymore and it takes far less time to reach our destination,” she says.

The driver, Mohammad Imran, has been training for four months to drive the bus. “We were told to not talk to any of the passengers and to brake gently,” he says with a smile. “This is much better than my old job, which was driving a public transport bus between Lahore and Rawalpindi. This is respectable work.”

When asked about the shortage of seats on the bus, he says that joy-riders are the reason why the buses are so crowded. “This is still a new thing for everyone and people are enjoying themselves. Once the excitement dies down, the crowds will also decrease,” he says.

Many people complain about the lack of room on the buses. Mohammad Aslam says there should be a limit on the number of people allowed on the bus. “It’s difficult to breathe,” he says.

On the way back, from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, it appears that no one is getting off. It is Friday evening and most people are heading towards the Centaurus Mall or Faisal Mosque. Naina, a class 9 student says she begged her parents for days to take her to ride the metro. “Finally, my auntie brought us. But it is so hot. I don’t think I ever want to ride the metro bus again,” she says with a giggle.

“It’s great to see people from all walks of life interacting with one another,” says Asif Anjum, who works at an English teacher at a school on Murree Road.

For all the inconvenience faced by the residents of the twin-cities during the construction of the project and all the questions raised about its usefulness, it seems to have made a real difference for some commuters. “I work at a telecom company located in the Saudi-Pak Tower. I would spend Rs600 on petrol every day, but now I only have to spend Rs40 from my house on 6th Road to work, and back. That’s a lot of money saved,” says Usman Ansari as he waits for a bus at the Stock-Exchange Station.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2015

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