Transportation will become cheaper.. French buses are coming back

On May 23, 2022, Lebanon received 50 buses as a donation from the French state, to be followed by a second batch later, provided that this donation is one of the episodes of the integrated transportation plan across all Lebanese territories.

The Railways and Combined Transport Authority also worked at that time to rehabilitate 45 local buses, which means that there were supposed to be 95 buses ready to operate on the roads, which would contribute, even partially, to alleviating the burden of transportation on the Lebanese citizen.










In mid-December 2023, public transport buses were running again on the streets of the capital, Beirut, with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport starting to implement the plan to operate the French Al-Haba buses, which numbered 50 buses, and only 10 of them entered service after waiting for months as a result of the employees’ strike.

These buses actually departed from the Mar Mikhael area and stopped at several stations within Greater Beirut and its suburbs. The lack of funds and drivers prevented putting more of them into service. However, these buses later stopped permanently because they needed diesel, drivers, and maintenance, and the funds that were allocated to them were only enough for one month. Just.

French buses remained parked, awaiting the results of studies and plans to operate them in a timely manner, until MP Bilal Abdullah, who participates in the meetings of the Parliamentary Works and Transport Committee, recently informed citizens that these buses had become very close to being ready for operation, but in reality the decision remains under discussion and study, so that The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is still suffering from challenges that prevent it from operating until now, firstly due to the low value of public sector workers’ salaries, and secondly due to the high costs of fuel and maintenance, which increases the financial burden on the Ministry in the event of operating buses.

To find out the truth about this matter, the Director General of the Railway and Combined Transport Authority, Ziad Nasr, told “Lebanon 24” that “the Authority is still in the first track, where a plan has been drawn up to operate these buses and we have requested credits because we cannot operate them with the capabilities available to us, but these credits have not been made.” There are available tenders to operate them in accordance with the Public Procurement Law, and a book of conditions has been drawn up to obligate the operation of buses owned by the Corporation with the aim of generating revenues, but we also did not reach any result, so the only solution available was cooperation with the private sector.”

Nasr revealed that “an auction was launched and a book of conditions was drawn up to choose the company that provides more benefit than others for public administration, and this bid was initially awarded to one of the private companies that will provide the human cadre to operate the buses according to the routes that were established according to the transportation plan,” stressing that “things are positive.” .

He considered that “this step is very important, and for the first time we will witness an integration between the public and private sectors to operate buses,” noting that “there are some matters that are under preparation, including preparing the human staff and preparing bus stops,” and he expected that “this plan will crystallize and that the operation will be carried out.” Buses between the coming months of May and June.”

What about the tariff?
Nasr explains that “the bus tariff must cover the requirements of the administration, that is, the railway and transport department and the operating company, so it cannot be very low and lead to losses,” pointing out that “the tariff will be studied according to appropriate standards.”

He pointed out that “the tariff decision is in the hands of the Railways and Public Transport Department,” reiterating that “these buses will be operating on the main roads in Lebanon soon.”

Public transportation plan
Regarding the fate of the general transportation plan, Nasr stressed that “the transportation sector must be supported by the state, as happens in other countries of the world because it is a vital sector,” calling for it to “top the list of priorities and for the implementation of sufficient funds to be secured for it to revive the institutions and departments concerned with activating This sector.”

He considered that “the step of operating 95 buses is an exemplary and qualitative step that can be put on the right track to later launch an integrated transportation plan,” noting that “for the first time there will be a partnership with the private sector to operate buses.”

Nasr is counting on the success of this step, calling on those concerned to ensure its success and for it to be accompanied by the Ministries of Interior and Works and Transport due to the overwhelming chaos that controls the transport sector.

He pointed out that, “For 40 years until today, the public transport sector has been neglected and abandoned. We have drawn up many plans, but they remain theoretical because of the country’s conditions, which everyone knows. We have the will to improve it, but this matter must be accompanied by a decisive official decision to regulate this sector, and we hope to start from During the restart of transport buses, we will regulate this sector step by step.”

If there is good news for the Lebanese that public transportation buses, or “Jahsh al-Dawla” as it was previously known, will soon resume operation, they may save, even partially, the burden of their transportation with the rise in gasoline prices, and their dream of regulating the transportation sector like other countries of the world will come true.

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