They say modern problems require modern solutions. And what better solution can there be to beat the heat then to find an air-conditioner? But what if you can’t afford an air-conditioner at home?
Well, this was certainly not an issue for this guy from Peshawar who thought the best idea to cope with this scorching heat was to go for a joyride in the city’s famous BRT buses.
Yes, you heard it! A guy from Peshawar spends the day riding in BRT Peshawar to beat the heat.
Because, why not? It’s cheaper than having to pay for an air-conditioner and the electric bills that will follow. And you also get a joyride around the city of the flowers — now cheaper than ever. What else could you possibly want?
We are all tired of the miserable, sweaty, cramped commute we had to bear for all these years.
The haphazard transportation system — which sometimes involves passengers riding on the roofs of a Mazda (the good ol’ decorated buses) or sitting on top of each other in a Ford wagon — something that has been the butt of jokes here and abroad.
Well, all that has finally come to an end as the shiny-new air-conditioned BRT buses have hit the road. Thanks to TransPeshawar, citizens are enjoying new mass transit options that even the Firangis might envy.
After just a few trips on the BRT, Farhad Kasabgar, 21, said his “mind is now at mental ease” when he travels.
The salesman previously hailed two passenger vans for his commute from Charsadda Road Shah Alam to Chamkani, which he described as a “painful” 60-minute journey. The new bus has cut it to 30 minutes.
“This metro bus has changed my life,” Farhad said recently as he left the Chamkani station. “It’s very spacious, and besides, there is air conditioner, which before, a poor man like me could never even think about.”
“I even sometimes spend the day travelling buses just for the fun of it.. you know, i-it helps beat the heat.” “Oh and it’s cheap! ” he added.
Talking to the media, Dawood Shah, a textile engineer said he loves the service because “it cuts down travel time by half”. And just at about 20 rupees a ride, the heavily subsidized systems are accessible even to the poor.
“They used to have to spend an hour or two getting to their office in crowded buses, hanging out of buses,” Dawood said. “By the time they reached their office, their mood was as crumpled as their clothes.”
The all-new bus rapid transit system is political and financial bets by former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak. And judging by the performances of the buses, he has certainly lost that bet. With a new bus catching fire every now and then, it seems like that the PTI sweetheart has a choice as poor as his health when it comes to choosing a transport system for his city.
This article is a work of fiction and satire. None of the above-mentioned scenarios are based on reality.
