transportation

Bus shortage means long, crowded rides for users

While a typical "diablo rojo" can hold 60 people, dozens more crowd on to them at night.

Many drivers have stopped running after dark because they fear being robbed.

Iván Uribe/LA PRENSA

long wait:Riders often face long waits at bus stops after dark as fewer of the vehicles are operating at night.1016169

As a La Prensa reporter and photographer climbed aboard a "diablo rojo" outside the Riba Smith supermarket on Vía Transístmica one recent evening, they may as well have been trying to squeeze into an overcrowded can of sardines.

Though the bus was packed, they and three other riders were urged to climb aboard. The bus had a capacity of 60, but this number had far been exceeded. A woman carried her three children in her lap. Six people pressed together on a seat meant for two.

As the La Prensa employees squeezed aboard, the bus rumbled toward its next stop. The passengers' pleas not to pick up any more customers went unheeded as the driver pulled into the next stop.

Overcrowded buses are one of a number of problems facing the country's public transportation system. A survey showed that, of the 150 buses that service Vía Transístmica, only 68 are in working order. The rest have broken down, and the owners are not rushing to have them fixed.

The situation is much worse at night, when only about 20 buses operate on the route. That's because few drivers want to take the risk of being robbed.

"Every day there are robberies," said operator Alberto Ortega. "It's a serious problem in our society."

Higher fuel prices have also reduced the number of buses on the road, making the problem even worse.

The government has done little to solve the public transportation problems, and now the Autoridad de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (ATTT) is promising to crack down on overloaded buses. While that will make it safer for passengers who get a seat, it will mean many more are left stranded.

The government has been promising to upgrade the country’s publc transportation system for years, and it was one of the campaign promises made by President Martín Torrijos when he ran for office. But, so far, an economical alternative to the "diablos rojos" has not been found, and no changes are planned.