LEBANON ALL ABOARD PLANS TO RENOVATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
▶ France says it could boost network with more buses if ‘pilot phase’ proves to be a success
The first batch of new buses set to modernise Lebanon’s transport network has arrived in Beirut and will be put in operation in the coming weeks.
Ali Hamieh, the Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister, said the 50 buses were the first to be delivered by France as part of an agreement to help Lebanon improve its public transport.
A third of the buses will run between areas of greater Beirut, while the rest will connect the capital with other parts of the country.
Although Mr Hamieh said he expected more buses to be delivered, French officials have said any expansion of the transport project “will depend on the success of this pilot phase and the ability of the Lebanese authorities to improve the public transport network with these 50 buses”.
Paris will work with Beirut on technical assistance and expertise, as well as “an in-depth reflection on the organisation and structuring of urban mobility in Lebanon”, the officials said.
The delivery comes at a time when fuel prices are increasing, pushing more Lebanese to use cheaper public transport.
The country is largely connected by networks of private microbuses and larger but outdated government buses.
Each of the single-decker vehicles from France can seat up to 92 people, compared with the 24-seat buses currently in use across Lebanon.
While the project is an attempt to modernise public transport and ease congestion in the cities, some Lebanese have raised concerns about the suitability of the new fleet.
They are sceptical about whether the buses will be able to handle the country’s winding, pothole-marked roads.
Some public transport experts have suggested that a change in mentality among motorists will be needed if the buses are to be integrated into the transport system successfully.
Others have suggested that the problems facing the transport system in Lebanon go beyond the size of the roads.
Chadi Faraj, co-founder of Lebanese shared-transport advocates Riders’ Rights, said he was uncertain about how the new fleet would be integrated with “zero resources”.
“Three quarters of bus drivers are no longer working and there are no adequate salaries,” he said.
“The foundation for transport planning needs to happen before we even put buses on the ground.”
Lebanon used to be connected to the wider region by a rail network and there was once a proposal to establish a metro system in Beirut.
But public transport in the country has been deteriorating for years.
Even before an economic collapse devastated Lebanon in 2019, the network was suffering from a lack of regulation and financing.
Buses are old, routes are not always clearly mapped out and few of the current services follow a set timetable.
The dire state of the sector has been exacerbated by Lebanon’s economic crisis, with petrol prices and fares rising steeply.
The country’s public transport has come to be regarded as a symbol of Lebanon’s collapse, with many of the vehicles used being in bad shape.
Some have broken seats and missing doors, while engine problems mean they are prone to breaking down.
In 2018, the World Bank approved an overall package of $295 million to “overhaul Lebanon’s decaying transport sector”.
The Greater Beirut Public Transport Project was initially welcomed as the country’s “first modern public transport system” in decades, but it has failed to materialise owing to the country’s continuing economic crisis.