Algeria counts 30.000 archaic, dangerous buses

Algiers-Number of old buses, which age exceeds 20 years and that are still active in Algeria reaches 30.000 out of 70.000, National Organization for Algerian Transporters says.

This kind of buses caused many deadly traffic accidents, at a time a lot of transporters resort to replacing their new buses with old and archaic ones.

Head of the NOAT, Houcine Bouraba, told Echorouk that the latest statistics show that 30.000 busses for public transport are classified as dangerous and unfit to traffic movement because their age exceeds 20 years, and caused deadly road accidents which led to deaths and injuries among citizens, asserting that the number of old busses was 25.000 in 2009 but reaches up to 30.000 in 2012.

“The large number of old busses is because owners to sell their new busses with expensive prices and buy other three old ones, having become sure that the profits are the same”.

The spokesman raised another problem which is the “Plan of Transport”, and the lack of a clear strategy which organizes the transport sector in our country, which led to the emergence of uncivilized practices among some transporters who refuse to stay at the bus stations and wait for hours, and decide to go directly to the passengers where they hampered with other busses.

“The best evidence of what I say is the accident which occurred on December 2011 at the street of Elbiar killing two citizens”.

On the other hand, the head of the organization asserted that up to 20.000 owners of busses resorted to fire their drivers and work instead of them due to rising number of busses at some lines.

75.000 taxi cars worked for almost 20 years

Head of the National Federation of Taxi Drivers, Houcine Ait Ibrahim told Echorouk that up to 75.000 taxis in Algeria has exceeded the age of 20 years, and are no longer valid for transport, while the federation called upon the Ministry of Transport to the find an appropriate formula for drivers to buy new cars determined by the state to renew the national barn.