Milli Bus

Milli Bus (Dari: "National Bus"), also spelt Millie Bus, is a government-run bus service operating across Afghanistan. Operations are managed by the Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, though proposals were made to privatise the service.^[1]

Operations

The Milli Bus Enterprise, which runs the service, operates services primarily in Kabul, along with services in other areas including the Panjshir Province, Parwan, Kandahar, and Maidan Wardak.^[2]

Milli buses are among the cheapest mode of transport in Kabul, often resulting in overcrowding during peak hours.^[3]

History

A trolleybus system built in 1929 by German engineers was later expanded in the 1970s with Russian technology to form a network that was 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) long. It had rolling stock from the Czech Republic and operated to its full capacity by 1977. The trolleybus system, along with the parking lots, workshops and administrative sections of the Milli Bus infrastructure were destroyed around 1991 due to the outbreak of the war.^[4] It was reported that in 2001, after the Taliban regime ended, only 50 buses were operating in Kabul.^[5] Around 1000 buses were received as aid from India, Iran, Japan, and Pakistan over a period of a decade after the downfall of the erstwhile Taliban government.^[6] In 2014, it was reported that many of these buses were not operational as they had fallen into disrepair and since most of these buses were imported, the lack of spare parts hindered their repair operations.^[7] Under the National Institution Building Project of the United Nations Development Fund, a maintenance department was established and officers and engineers were given training in maintenance of buses as well as other fields such as drivers training by Indian automotive major Tata Motors.^[8]

References

1. World Bank: Policy Paper 1.1: Corporatisation of MOT Truck and Bus Operations. April 2003.
2. "Milli Bus Enterprise Must Be Revived To Avoid Overcrowding On Kabul Roads". Kabul. Bakhtar News Agency. 1 June 2014. Retrieved Dec 18, 2014.
3. Siddiqui, Abdul (1 March 2011). "Crowded roads force Millie Bus to suspend 165 buses". Kabul: Pajhwok Afghan News. Retrieved Dec 18, 2014.
4. "Afghanistan Development Forum Transport National Programme" (PDF). Ministry of Public Works. 20 April 2004. pp. 8, 9. Retrieved Dec 19, 2014.
5. "Rebuilding Afghanistan-India at Work" (PDF). Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. August 2005. p. 28. Retrieved Dec 19, 2014.
6. Zakiri, Ghulam (6 March 2013). "Delhi pledges 1,000 buses in aid to Kabul". Pajhwok Afghan News. Kabul. Retrieved Dec 18, 2014.
7. Kohistani, Shukriya (20 October 2014). "90pc Millie Buses not operational, MoTCA". The Kabul Times. Retrieved Dec 18, 2014.
8. "Afghanistan National Institution Building Project (NIBP) First Quarter Project Progress Report" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2011. Retrieved Dec 19, 2014.