German city offers Erbil its old buses to improve public transport
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Dusseldorf officials say they will give Erbil their old buses once the German city launches its new fleet of electric vehicles, according to Erbil’s head of transportation.
Erbil will privatize the management of these buses once they arrive, the department says.
Most people in the Kurdistan Region rely on their own car to get around due to the limited public transport system. It has led to heavy traffic and a high rate of car accidents. It has also polluted the environment.
According to Erbil’s transportation department, there are 92 bus routes and 4,529 buses in the Kurdistan Region’s cities, and 81 bus routes and 1,974 buses outside cities. In addition, there are almost 9,500 privately operated buses and minibuses transporting employees, teachers, and students. There are also an estimated 75,000 taxis.
“Public transportation in the Kurdistan Region is very poor. It was much better and more organized before the uprising,” said Colonel Assad Malakarim, head of statistics and planning at the transportation department.
Erbil’s existing minibus service is unreliable and its depots in disrepair, Malakarim said.
Poor public transportation has also drawn the attention of foreigners.
“If I am tasked by the Japanese and Kurdistan government to do something, I will work on public transportation because this is the cornerstone of progress in any country. It will ease traffic on the roads, save time for people, and contribute to the protection of environment, too. It will also reduce expenditure on fuel,” Katsumi Moriyasu, head of the Japanese consular office in Erbil, told Rudaw.
In the past, the KRG initiated projects to develop public transportation, especially in Erbil. There were even plans to lay tram lines through the city. These grand plans were put on hold, however, owing to the economic crisis.
“Public transportation projects require big budgets. Foreign companies ask for government support to embark on these projects. But the government is not prepared to spend money on public transportation projects,” Salah Jawhar, head of the department of land transportation, rail, and tramways at the ministry of transportation, told Rudaw.
“Heavy traffic on the roads is to a small extent due to poor public transportation, and to a large extent to the government having no plans to tackle the problem, especially in the importation of private cars and taxis. The government doesn’t consult us on this matter,” Jawhar said.
“There are nearly 35,000 taxi cars in Erbil. Most of them work in cities. That is, a taxi for every three people. This is very unusual. That is why vehicles should be imported according to demand,” Jawhar added.
According to statistics from the department of transportation, there are 7,850 buses and minibuses in Erbil province – 915 buses work in cities on 26 routes, and 185 buses work outside cities on 12 routes.
Abdulkhaliq Ali, head of transportation in Erbil province, said: “The design for four tramways extending 67 kilometers in Erbil was decided in late 2013. The design was completed in 2014. The project would have cost $2 billion. The project was not executed because of the budget cut by Baghdad.”
“Many foreign companies looked at the design but were not prepared to take on the project due its heavy cost, and political and economic instability in the Kurdistan Region,” he added.
In addition to tramways, officials had also thought about a city-bus system which would need $400 million.
“The design of the project was given to an Italian company. Some foreign and local companies saw the design of the project, but no company took the project,” Ali said.
In a bid to protect the environment, the European Union has dedicated a special budget to introduce electric buses across member states by 2020 and give its existing buses to developing countries.
“The Erbil governor, in cooperation with former mayor of Erbil, is trying to take Dusseldorf buses for Erbil. They visited Germany and Dusseldorf officials have promised to give city buses to Erbil,” Ali said.
“The European Union follows up on the buses it offers to other cities until they start to operate. That is why they asked us for a design, and we sent them Erbil’s city bus design. And they have promised to offer us the buses,” he said.
“We intend to give the project to a local company to manage them, and the company will get some of the revenues generated from these buses,” he said.
Erbil will privatize the management of these buses once they arrive, the department says.
Most people in the Kurdistan Region rely on their own car to get around due to the limited public transport system. It has led to heavy traffic and a high rate of car accidents. It has also polluted the environment.
According to Erbil’s transportation department, there are 92 bus routes and 4,529 buses in the Kurdistan Region’s cities, and 81 bus routes and 1,974 buses outside cities. In addition, there are almost 9,500 privately operated buses and minibuses transporting employees, teachers, and students. There are also an estimated 75,000 taxis.
“Public transportation in the Kurdistan Region is very poor. It was much better and more organized before the uprising,” said Colonel Assad Malakarim, head of statistics and planning at the transportation department.
Erbil’s existing minibus service is unreliable and its depots in disrepair, Malakarim said.
Poor public transportation has also drawn the attention of foreigners.
“If I am tasked by the Japanese and Kurdistan government to do something, I will work on public transportation because this is the cornerstone of progress in any country. It will ease traffic on the roads, save time for people, and contribute to the protection of environment, too. It will also reduce expenditure on fuel,” Katsumi Moriyasu, head of the Japanese consular office in Erbil, told Rudaw.
In the past, the KRG initiated projects to develop public transportation, especially in Erbil. There were even plans to lay tram lines through the city. These grand plans were put on hold, however, owing to the economic crisis.
“Public transportation projects require big budgets. Foreign companies ask for government support to embark on these projects. But the government is not prepared to spend money on public transportation projects,” Salah Jawhar, head of the department of land transportation, rail, and tramways at the ministry of transportation, told Rudaw.
“Heavy traffic on the roads is to a small extent due to poor public transportation, and to a large extent to the government having no plans to tackle the problem, especially in the importation of private cars and taxis. The government doesn’t consult us on this matter,” Jawhar said.
“There are nearly 35,000 taxi cars in Erbil. Most of them work in cities. That is, a taxi for every three people. This is very unusual. That is why vehicles should be imported according to demand,” Jawhar added.
According to statistics from the department of transportation, there are 7,850 buses and minibuses in Erbil province – 915 buses work in cities on 26 routes, and 185 buses work outside cities on 12 routes.
Abdulkhaliq Ali, head of transportation in Erbil province, said: “The design for four tramways extending 67 kilometers in Erbil was decided in late 2013. The design was completed in 2014. The project would have cost $2 billion. The project was not executed because of the budget cut by Baghdad.”
“Many foreign companies looked at the design but were not prepared to take on the project due its heavy cost, and political and economic instability in the Kurdistan Region,” he added.
In addition to tramways, officials had also thought about a city-bus system which would need $400 million.
“The design of the project was given to an Italian company. Some foreign and local companies saw the design of the project, but no company took the project,” Ali said.
In a bid to protect the environment, the European Union has dedicated a special budget to introduce electric buses across member states by 2020 and give its existing buses to developing countries.
“The Erbil governor, in cooperation with former mayor of Erbil, is trying to take Dusseldorf buses for Erbil. They visited Germany and Dusseldorf officials have promised to give city buses to Erbil,” Ali said.
“The European Union follows up on the buses it offers to other cities until they start to operate. That is why they asked us for a design, and we sent them Erbil’s city bus design. And they have promised to offer us the buses,” he said.
“We intend to give the project to a local company to manage them, and the company will get some of the revenues generated from these buses,” he said.