When I moved back to Goa in 2021, I was impressed by the air-conditioned intra-city shuttle service by the KTC. The service was affordable (Rs 50) and efficient, and you could get a bus every few minutes. Rather than driving, I preferred to hop on a bus at Margao’s KTC bus stand and be in Panjim city in less than 45 minutes. This decision brought down my carbon footprint. It felt safer to travel on Goa’s increasingly killer roads. However, the frequency of the AC shuttles dropped, I observed, post the inauguration of the Mopa airport, and I haven’t travelled in an AC shuttle in a long time.
The heat and humidity of Goa make bus travel a fairly exhausting experience. Yet, lakhs of Goans hop on buses, every day for work and college, out of sheer necessity. Many arrive at their destinations, drenched in sweat. Many take more than one bus in a day due to a lack of last-mile connectivity. I know a Goan woman in her 60s who works as a cook in various households who uses thesShuttle and the local buses to get around. In the absence of local buses, she needs to shell out between Rs 100 to 150 to hire a motorbike pilot one way, which completely eats into her daily earnings.
So, let’s acknowledge that a sustainable alternative to bus travel in Goa is non-existent. Our state has no metro, no radio cabs, and no metered cabs and auto rickshaws. Yes, we can buy cars and bikes. But this growth has congested our roads, and caused parking snarls, which is the very reason the CM is urging us to use public transport. But is it fair to urge Goans to travel by abysmally poor, back-breaking, inaccessible, infrequent, and uncomfortable buses?
What does it say about the belief that Goan tax-payers deserve to travel in comfortable, affordable public transport?
Is air-conditioned travel a luxury, a privilege?
Why must we continue travelling like sardines on substandard public transport? Don’t we Goans deserve better?
Investments in superior public transport come with multiple benefits, as revealed by data from other tourist destinations that have aced it.
Travel becomes safer for women, students, children, people with disabilities, and other underserved/ marginalised communities. It nudges people to opt out of using cars and bikes, which reduces pollution.
The traffic and parking situation will ease up (today, traffic and parking are a nightmare, since there is no real plan for parking to keep pace with the growth in automobile purchases).
The tourism sector will get a boost (currently, high costs associated with cab travel, not to mention lack of ease of access are a serious setback).
Road accidents will reduce (in the first half of 2024, 164 people died in road accidents, including 22 pedestrians)
More sustainable jobs can be created for people as public transport expands its footprint.
With so many benefits, I’m a firm believer in superior, safe, affordable public transport services being delivered to Goans as a top priority.
A friend of mine who admires the natural beauty of Goa as a tourist, was really disappointed by the lack of accessible transport. Her own home state is well-connected by air-conditioned Volvo buses, which can be booked online. Imagine her shock when she realized that the only viable option was to hire a local taxi for Rs 3000 a day, which was more than the cost of her flight!
Since she and her spouse do not drive or ride bikes, they had a sparse sightseeing experience. One look at the local buses sent them scampering for cover. They began walking to the local market, but grew exhausted under the blaze of the sun. They took shelter under a generously massive tree until a solitary auto passed by, and they grabbed it. Sadly, they ended up spending most of the time in their resort. Never again, was their concluding sentiment.
On a different note, the KTC bus terminals are pretty much in shambles, both in terms of infrastructure and the traveller experience. For instance, there’s not even a whiff of thought toward making services accessible for people with disabilities, seniors, and pregnant women. In the digital era, travellers cannot even purchase bus passes and tickets, online, even though everyone has a mobile phone.