To no one’s surprise, it turns out that setting up a brand new public transport system isn’t easy. While Yangon’s new bus system is supposed to make everyday travel more efficient for citizens, its first day — admittedly, as expected — was a bit of a mess. The good news however is that the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) seems to be making real efforts to address people’s complaints.
For instance, one of the biggest grievances that commuters have is that the new routes don’t necessarily cover all of Yangon, especially outside the city limits; this has proven to be a big obstacle for students who commute into the city for their studies but don’t actually live within Yangon. To solve this issue, the Yangon Bus Service (YBS) announced yesterday that nine new routes — which would bring the total of routes up to 70 — would be added in the coming days. The YRTA had said on Monday that new lines would be added according to commuters’ needs, and it’s good to see them following through with their word.
Additionally, the YRTA has confirmed a fixed fare of MMK100 for all downtown bus routes, specifically brown bus lines 56, 57, 58. Stickers stating the K100 fare have also been put up in all of the buses that serve these routes in order to prevent dishonest drivers and conductors from overcharging.
Currently, buses run from 5 am to 9 pm along 61 different routes.
