The Minister of Public Works and Transport in the outgoing government, Ali Hamiyeh, launched the trial maneuver for public transportation buses from the Joint Railways and Transport Authority, announcing that "the public transportation buses will be operational on their designated routes starting next Monday, one week after their registration." This event was attended by Beirut Governor Judge Marwan Aboud, the head of the authority Ziad Nasr, a representative from the French embassy Louis Mongino, President of the Public Transport Unions Raymond Fleifla, President of the Land Transport Unions Bassam Tlais, and media representatives.
Hamiyeh explained that "the number of employees in the Joint Railways and Transport Authority is 2,808, with only 28 drivers currently available. For this reason, we decided to operate the buses within Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon," indicating that "the fare will be 20,000 Lebanese pounds." He stated, "We will operate on two parallel lines, the first through the current drivers whose salaries do not exceed 2,400,000 Lebanese pounds per month," commending their "national sense and decision to drive the buses for the public interest, which obliges the state to take responsibility towards them."
Regarding the second line, he referred to the cabinet's decision to prepare a terms of reference for the operation, maintenance, and driving of the buses by the private sector, believing that Lebanon's revival lies in the partnership between the public and private sectors, where the former oversees and the latter operates. He noted that "the buses will conduct a trial maneuver today to officially operate starting next Monday."
He affirmed that "the Ministry of Public Works has fulfilled its duties and responsibilities regarding the maintenance of the buses through a donation, while next year, these buses will need financial allocations to cover their expenses such as diesel, oil, and others, in addition to providing health coverage for employees to ensure continuity." He pointed out that "the ministry is one of the most contributing ministries to the state treasury in dollars," urging "the relevant state administrations to secure the necessary allocations for the authority's budget, especially for its human resources like other state institutions." He praised "the role of the Beirut Governor and the head of the vehicle registration authority Colonel Ali Taha in the process of registering the buses."
He clarified that the insurance, registration, required oils, and maintenance for the buses are donations, affirming that "the scarcity of funds in the ministry's budget did not hinder our determination to operate its administrations, even though we generate many revenues for the benefit of the public treasury." He concluded, "For the past 30 years, there has been deliberate neglect of the public transport sector, but we are currently working in coordination with the Beirut Governor to allocate suitable bus stops," emphasizing that "this step will not come at the expense of private transport but will complement it." He noted that "the Ministry of Public Works has begun consultations with some relevant administrations to secure buses for their employees as part of their contribution to facilitating the work of these administrations."
Aboud praised "Minister Hamiyeh's efforts and his method of operating the public facility," indicating that "today's goal is how to operate this public facility amid the difficult circumstances the state is going through," considering that "those who fulfill their professional duties today have become like unknown soldiers. However, we will continue to revive the state with all the loyal ones, and I will ensure the necessary security support for the buses in the Beirut area."
Tlais then spoke, seeing that "the public transport sector is the foundation of the private transport sector, and both complement each other," clarifying that "public transport operates at about 85% in all countries around the world, while it is the opposite in Lebanon." He called for "cooperation between drivers in both the public and private sectors for the benefit of the citizen." For his part, Nasr confirmed that "today's step is the result of a shared insistence with Minister Hamiyeh to meet an urgent social service need for various Lebanese segments to cope with the burdens of economic conditions," praising Hamiyeh's call for the state "to fulfill its duties and give full attention to the authority and its employees to strengthen their resilience and revitalize its facilities."
Hamiyeh and the attendees then conducted the trial maneuver for the public transportation buses through a tour of some of the designated routes.
