Mafraq university students resume protest over transport services as demands ‘ignored’

AMMAN — Al al Bayt University students on Monday resumed their campaign to boycott public transport services in Mafraq Governorate in order to protest the lack of response to their demands.

With more than two-thirds of university students using public transport, and after around 16 days of protests, students “have not yet received a response” to their problem regarding the governorate’s buses, according to members from the university’s Student Rally Group.

The authorities have sent some buses to the governorate, some 80km northeast of Amman, to “regulate” transport schedule and provide students with more services. However, students said they have been “facing more problems” since the number of buses “isn’t sufficient”, with no regulations to monitor bus drivers.

“The buses sent from Amman have created more problems and the bus drivers have been engaged in some scuffles with students,” a third-year student who preferred anonymity claimed.

Students urged the Central Traffic Department to ensure “better monitoring on transport fares”.

“We previously met with officials from the Land Transport Regulatory Commission and the university administration… we set a timetable to solve the problem, but the deadline has passed and we still haven't receive a response,” a protester told The Jordan Times.

The agreement, according to students, includes governmental support to reduce transport fares and providing students with more buses around the university’s gates.

The commission was not available to comment on Monday; however, its director general, Marwan Hmoud, previously told The Jordan Times that there are around 13 buses deployed to serve students in Mafraq. 

Hmoud added that the commission is developing a plan to limit the violations of bus drivers and to regulate the time schedule of each bus, especially the Amman-Zarqa buses.