[Professor’s name
Considered as one of the most convenient means of conveyance after a personal car, bus transportation is preferred by many people. They establish a routine of lining up before the bus arrival time and stopping at their desired destinations. The route can also be flexible depending on which bus they choose to board. However, some problems like overcrowding, faraway stops, and harassment are faced by users of bus transportation services, and their solutions are required.
One of the problems that are faced by commuters using bus transport is that of overcrowding. Once the seats are full, the commuters have to stand while holding on to the straphangers. This results in an overcrowded aisle and leads to a severe problem when one of the passengers has to get off the bus at his/her destination. This problem can be solved. In order to accommodate more people in a single bus, the space between seats can be reduced. This way, more seats can be introduced. Instead of making people stand while clinging on to the straphangers, they can sit. Although this will solve the problem of overcrowding to an extent, its disadvantage is that it will cause a little discomfort too because the seats will not be as spacious as before. The luxury offered by spacious seats will be compromised. Another solution can be the increase of the width of the aisle. It will be advantageous for making space for movement of another person and will not remove any hindrance when someone wishes to get off the bus. However, that too will result in decreasing the size of the seats and once again, at the expense of comfort level.
Secondly, the bus stops are sometimes planned in such a manner that the passenger is dropped off at more than a walking distance and hence, he/she needs to hire a taxi to get to the destination from the bus stop. That negates the whole concept of bus transportation. Although it still costs less than hiring a cab all the way, it is still more inconvenient. Therefore, some people are discouraged from using bus transportation. This problem is further compounded when the bus stop is at an isolated spot where cabs are also rare. Therefore, a solution needs to be found. One of the apt solutions is the proper planning of bus routes so that the routes touch almost every corner of a sector or block. The advantage will be seen in the form of increasing number of people in favor of using bus transport, and that will take the pressure off the roads. However, this might be disadvantageous given the cost of planning and implementation.
Lastly, the problem of harassment continues to be faced by women while using bus transportation. Unnecessary physical contact, staring and jeering makes it impossible for a decent woman to survive a bus experience. The solution is to introduce an armed guard for each bus. By the press of a button beside the seat, a woman should be able to call the guard and complain about any harassment incident that takes place. The perpetrator should be made to get off the bus or in serious cases, be given into the hands of the police. This solution will be advantageous because more women will find it comfortable to travel in a bus. However, people may not like the sight of an armed guard in every bus. This will also add another cost to running expenses of the bus.
In conclusion, the problems of overcrowding, harassment and inappropriate bus routes can all be solved. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to all solutions, a cost-benefit analysis can better guide towards the best solution.
