New bus system in Yangon makes chaotic rush hour

A new bus system in Myanmar's Yangon, which was introduced on the first day on Monday, has made for a chaotic rush hour with large number of passengers being stranded on the roads.

The system, which reduces the number of bus lines from more than 300 to 70, has eased the traffic jam but caused chaos among congested passengers.

The first day of the new system saw fewer buses operating than expected, resulting in imbalance between the number of buses and passengers.

The official Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the shortage of buses and the ensuing delay prompted private buses from express bus lines and from tourist companies to voluntarily offer transportation to commuters who were crowded at bus stops.

Many other commuters used the circular trains which reported a jump in ridership.

All 300 bus lines running in Myanmar's former capital city of Yangon were abolished and replaced with 70 new bus lines starting Monday, according to the arrangement of the Yangon regional government.

The change is aimed at reducing traffic jam in the city and making the bus lines systematically formed.

The new bus lines are supervised by Yangon Region Transport Supervision Board, thus replacing the previous All Bus Line Control Committee.

At present, over 2 million people are depending on bus lines in Yangon where 6 million people are residing. Endit