Yesterday’s strike among the drivers of about 80,000 buses and taxis turned Lima into a Paradise when all the poorly maintained, horrible looking, and rusted out vehicles that typically prowl the streets were barred entry. Not since the APEC meetings back in November has Lima been so nice to get around and I hope that the government and the police are going to enforce their laws, write bus drivers a ticket if they break them, and confiscate their vehicles if they fail to pay.
As our minister of Transportation and Communication Enrique Cornejo yesterday so correctly said, “if you don’t break the law, you don’t have anything to worry about.”
The Municipality of Lima should concentrate on creating a new public transportation plan for Lima and to offer safe passage for all. It's time they finished the Metro that Alan Garcia started back in 1980’s. They should also consider purchasing 5.000 new buses to replace all the old and unsafe vehicles which are currently being allowed to drive around all over Lima.
The rumor is that many bus companies are owned by members of congress and police officers, which perhaps makes the above suggestion an impossible mission. But wouldn’t it be nice if we all could travel around Lima like people do in other great cities around the world, in comfort and without fear of faulty vehicles or overcrowding? Starting August 14, citizens of Lemvig in Denmark will be able to take the bus for free, as the municipality figured out that there was no money to be made from public transportation!
I hope that those using the buses will one day go on strike and demand that the police all over Peru enforce the existing traffic laws to secure passengers a safe and comfortable journey to and from work or wherever they wish to go within this great country. After all, it's the passengers who ultimately dictate how public transportation in Lima should be, and the good people of this great city deserve to be treated MUCH better.
