Yesterday I was at Thaajuddeen School to attend my daughter’s Parent Teacher Meeting. After the meeting, I brought her to the ferry terminal and called her mother to fetch her from the Villingili ferry terminal.
After the ferry left, I tried to get a taxi to come back to the STO Trade Centre. I struggled with quite a few others including several school children who were waiting to catch a cab to go to school in the scorching sun.
Taxis are not regular and reliable as would have been experienced by an frequent traveller from Hulhumale, Hulhule or Villingili to Male’. They are the only means of transport available to those who are not fortunate enough to own a car or a motorcycle. Taxi availability depends on the drivers’ mood, whether their children are going to school that day, whether there was riot which they have to be up for, rain, and so many other things.
The relevant government authorities will tell us that this cannot be done because the roads of Male’ are too congested. But the funny thing is, there is more than enough room for several hundred mortobikes and cars every month. When a bus service is to be given to the public, the congestion comes in.
And the taxi drivers will protest! Is it the welfare of the taxi drivers or the greater welfare of the general public that the authorities are interested in. The thing is that the people who have to make these decisions are not faced with the consquences of the neglect or the delays (in years) in decisions that affect the public.
Even if not a formal public transport system, a school-bus service would solve several social issues that we are faced with now. Firstly, the cost of transport to school by children will be less, children going to school in the rain and in the scorching sun will be saved from the related health issues, less school children roaming the streets, several parents would not have to skip work everyday to take and fetch children from school.
If the people who ran the government were the ordinary folk, they would have dealt with issues that were important for the ordinary folk. But the fthing is, that in Maldives the government is run by people who could care less about the general public.
Smile and Let Smile 
moyameehaa
September 5, 2007 at 5:48 am
“the government is run by people who could care less about the general public”…and its the same with all the bloody parties…especially what they call the main opposition.if it was about some resort bid….or about anything that could accuse gayom of something (like …a death in prison)…they would have gone for it.you see they dont really give a damn about people.and it is mob rule …so taxi drivers and their families are more important than yours…’adu gadha meehaa ge ruh ginavaane’.and btw… gud to see you here.ive thought of commenting on your blog so many times.. sometimes i think of starting a windows live journal just to comment on ur blog.good thing that uve come here.i like your blog!keep em comin!
shahuru
September 4, 2007 at 9:15 pm
The public has to become more demanding than this. In fact that could be done with a little bit of intention and talk at the school parent-teacher meetings. I for one feel that way.We are still very silent on what we actually want.
Anonymous
September 4, 2007 at 7:20 pm
How can we change that? Exercise your voting rights responsibly and encourage others to do so!
Shihab
September 4, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I couldn’t help wondering whose responsibility it would be to create a public transport system in Male’. It was obvious standing there, that it was needed. The way our government agencies operate, they will “once again” call a consultant, do a study and submit recommendation to the President’s Office for approval. Then, they will sit on it and forget about it. When they remember they will have to do another study. Else, they would come up with the most popular excuse that there are no laws and there is lack of capacity. So I wrote this post.