Karachi has one of the worst public transport systems in the world, with roads littered with potholes and traffic signals barely functional.
Bloomberg, in a report on Karachi’s attempt to modernise its transport system, said public transport serves about 42 per cent of the commuters in decades-old buses that use the roof as a second deck for passengers at time.
The report said that MA Jinnah Road, which connects central Karachi to the port, constantly faces severe traffic jams due to the absence of transportation infrastructure.
Multiple attempts have been made to bring modern transportation to the port city, but they have hit a snag for lack of funds among other reasons. “Multiple bus projects have been announced over the years but either they never started or were unable to sustain for more than a few years,” the news report said.
Adam Weinstein, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Washington, said: “Karachi was once well-connected by a circular railway but corruption and mismanagement in the transportation sector brought the city to a grinding halt in the 1990s.”
Many of the railway tracks have become illegal slums, where people have settled from smaller towns, he added.
“Karachi, despite its importance, is a political orphan,” said Arsalan Ali Faheem, a consultant at Development Alternatives Incorporated, an international company that advises on development projects.
A development project valued at Rs162 billion was announced in March last year by Prime Minister Imran Khan, but the city officials reported that no funds were released. The federal government in response said that it has spent Rs24.65 billion, and an allocation of Rs17.9 billion has been made for the current fiscal year.
