Kerala - Kochi

Students look to metro rail to ease their woes

KOCHI: In the absence of a comfortable mode of public transport in Kochi, a good share of regular and private college students are forced to travel in congested private and KSRTC buses.

The only solace seems to be that school and college students have to pay just a quarter of the regular bus fare. Most students say that they are willing to pay more, if they are promised less-congested buses and better behaviour from bus workers.

“I am game for an increase of student concession up to Rs.2 (from the present Re 1), provided buses are less congested, are comfortable and reach the destination faster,” says Jacob Paulose, a third-year engineering student at the Ragagiri School of Engineering and Technology. A resident of Vytilla Janatha, he has to often take three buses to reach his college located at Chittettukara.

“The return journey is more gruelling. From the college located in the east of the city, I am forced to travel through the western parts of the city to reach my home located in the east. This is because buses have not been re-routed through the bypass.”

Not very fond of travelling in two-wheelers, Mr. Paulose is seriously thinking of car-pooling by roping in a few of his friends from Vytilla. “Thus, each one of us would take our car on rotation.” He expressed concern at the fate of the Kochi metro-rail becoming uncertain because of the ‘circus’ being enacted by politicians and some others.

Fed up with travelling by buses to college, Anand Sankar, a final year B.Com student of Chinmaya Vidyapeeth, Warriam Road and resident of Thripunithura has shifted to two-wheeler. “Many among my friends have given up travelling in buses because of the rude behaviour of conductors and cleaners. Most drivers drive rashly and pick up quarrels with other bus drivers, making travelling stressful. The workers abandon the bus (and the passengers) and flee the scene if there is an accident. We also have to be wary of pick-pockets.”

But he has a word of caution for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians. “These two segments are at the mercy of motorists.” He too is eagerly waiting for the commissioning of the Kochi metro-rail.

There are others like Rose Mary, a final year Communicative English student of St. Teresa’s College, who considers herself lucky if she gets a seat in the bus. A resident of Chittettukara near Kakkanad, she says that bus travel is literally a fight to survive for commuters. “It’s like a musical chair; there are at least two people gunning for a seat to fall vacant. This is because people who stand have to endure being crushed. I generally pay the students’ fare of Re 1. Some conductors do not give the balance if we pay Rs.2.”

She differed with the impression that all bus workers are bad. They once returned the cell phone that she had lost while travelling. “Some passengers behave badly with women and children. But such incidents have come down after college students formed a cell against sexual harassment while travelling and also began to interact regularly with the police. Ultimately, I hope the metro-rail would make a difference by offering a comfortable and non-polluting mode of public transport and thus lessening traffic congestion.”

Ms.Mary is not averse to car-pooling, but considers it impracticable in the “horrible city traffic”.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu