Op-Ed: Decrepit Conditions of Government Buses—President Bio, Beware

Have you ever wondered why public investments in Sierra Leone crumble and private investments thrive with ease?

I have on countless occasions restrained myself from commenting on the worsening conditions of the Government buses hoping authorities concerned would remedy these ailing concerns but the situation remains the same and it continues to pose serious and disastrous road safety concerns for all commuters who use all Government Buses in Sierra Leone.

Months ago, I traveled with colleague professionals somewhere in the provinces and to our greatest surprise, the Government buses we hired had no wipers amid a torrential downpour along the highway. The drivers could hardly see the road and approaching vehicles so we had to command him to stop the vehicles until the in subsided and we set sail to our final destination amid a perilous journey.

I noticed among others that there are substantial delays occasioned by unnecessary stops.

The attitude of some bus conductors is very appalling towards commuters and the continuous leaks from the roof tops to the seats are nothing good to write home about.

These issues among many others raise serious road safety concerns and nothing has been done to address these looming threats.

Daily, over 46 or more passengers risk their lives traveling in these Government buses and none among them are direct relatives or children of officials at SLRTA because none among them would risk the precious lives of their relative, but they would allow passengers to do so.

Could this be attributed to the negligence or ineptitude on the part of the Leadership of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority?

Are they waiting for a fatal accident before actions are taken to repair all Government Buses plying the highway to the provinces? Is it that difficult to order for replacement of worn out parts considering wear and tear factors?

Why is it so difficult to maintain and consolidate Government investments in Sierra Leone when it clearly shows the might of Government to handle all these defects?.

Do we only care about the lives of our fellow compatriots during electioneering periods so we are less who dies in the process if these Government buses continue posing threats to road safety?

Why should Road Safety Corps rest and prosecute drivers for the same traffe offences committed by even Government bus drivers?

Consider the milestone achievements of Abess Buses to that of Government Buses then you would realize the Hussein Bolt distance between them. Slowly Sierra Stars buses are becoming another threat to road safety measures.

Maybe it’s about time to institute class actions against the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority and their accomplices and President Julius Maada Bio should consider inspecting all Government Buses to avoid deaths of our fellow compatriots because of the negligence and ineptitude of his appointed officials including the Minister of Transport.