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AMMAN — In an unannounced strike, scores of bus drivers who work the busy Sweileh line refused to carry passengers on Sunday morning.
Sweileh’s buses link the capital to the northern governorates, as well as Baqaa camp, and are an essential link in many people’s daily commute. A bus carrying employees and citizens heading from Salt to Amman was also attacked on Sunday, which resulted in broken windows and no injuries. It was not specified who committed the attack.
The attacked bus was brought in because of the strike carried out by bus drivers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The passengers voiced their appreciation to the transport company’s owner, who provided six buses fare-free to facilitate the transport of employees and citizens from Salt to Amman, after the passengers were stranded because of the strike.
“They could have at least warned us. I was an hour late to work because once I got to Sweileh there were no buses willing to take us to Wadi Al Seer, where the shop I work in is,” said Wael Abu Surra, a citizen residing in Irbid.
Not all the bus drivers, however, were on strike, and some still continued to carry citizens to their usual destinations, such as the University of Jordan, Marj Al Hamam and the Tabarbour bus station.
“We cannot afford to go on strike, we have children to feed and rent to pay,” said Abu Fareed Sarayrah, a bus driver who works on the Sweileh-Jerash line.
Although no clear list of demands were presented by those on strike, drivers who spoke with The Jordan Times said they had two main problems which were in need of “immediate solutions”.
One is the absence of a big and reserved space for the buses to park when loading and unloading passengers, which makes them subject to regular parking tickets. “We have no space to park, so we have to wait on the side of the street, which is a violation. Where are we supposed to go?” said Mohammed Shatarat, a 54-year-old bus driver.
Another issue was the banning of extra seats that many busses install in the middle of the bus as a way to carry more passengers.
“We are not allowed to carry extra passengers who have to stand, so we install these seats. Fuel prices are up, and we cannot make trips back and forth just for a few people,” added Shatarat.
Ministry of Transport Spokesperson Ali Odeibat told The Jordan Times that the first problem is one that the ministry has plans to fix, saying the construction of a big bus stop in Sweileh is on the ministry’s agenda.
“However, we cannot allow extra seats, simply because they have no seat belts and are thus very dangerous. In addition to that, buses carry passengers in the middle and people that are standing, which is a double violation traffic officers simply cannot ignore, and are therefore obliged to issue at least one ticket,” he concluded.
A source in Balqa Governorate said that the Land Transportation Regulatory Commission, in cooperation with the governorate, had provided 15 buses, while an owner of a private transport company had provided six buses in response to the strike, reported Petra.
There were no clear responses on how long the strike would continue, but those who were badly affected by today’s strike told The Jordan Times they have made plans to ride with relatives, taxis or public cars, “just in case”.
