Travelling third class

I always have several questions in my mind when travelling by public vehicle. Should I leave my seat for a disabled, a woman, a suckling mother, a grandfather or a grandmother? Why does the conductor keep squeezing more and more people into bus or microbus even when he knows that there is no more space? Does he not have any responsibility towards these people?

Previously, I used to offer my seat as soon as I saw such people. But nowadays, I hesitate. I help only those people with genuine need for my help. It does not mean that I have been uncivilized and unwilling to understand other people’s problems. There are some reasons for that.

First, the conductor does not stop cramming people into the vehicle as long as there is a little space. Therefore, he will naturally be encouraged to do so if I vacate my place. Second, the passengers are quite tolerant. They never complain about their discomfort they are made to suffer even though they have to pay the full fare. They are satisfied with the little space so that they can stand on. The bus and micro bus conductors and helpers never stop saying, “Come, I’ll manage a seat for you” to every new passenger. They frequently yell at their passengers, “Move to the back. There is space.” This is because the consumers in Nepal are not conscious about their rights.

Nevertheless, the plight of the disabled, sick and senior citizens in public vehicles cannot be undermined. There are still many good-hearted people in our society who are ready to offer their seats to such people. But their generosity should not be a punishment for themselves. The bus conductors should be made able to understand the value of generosity. For this, they need some education. They need to be taught to be less greedy.

This can be possible only when the passengers themselves become conscious. The passengers often come to compromise because they need to get some place and they are in a rush. Taking advantage of their situation, the conductors always push them around. So, their attention is always to fill the bus up to its full capacity. We don’t have proper management of seat reservation for disabled and elderly people. Even on some vehicles where such seats are marked as being reserved for such travelers, they are often occupied by people other than those who need them.

Until we show respect and care to such people with our help, we cannot be called human beings; and our society cannot be regarded as being civilized. Modernity does not mean selfishness. It means being more sensitive towards humanity and equality in the society. Can we put this principle into practice?

( Published in The Kathmandu Post, 27.12.2011)