Due to problems faced by Anbessa City Buses, a state-owned public transport buses and the largest in the country, the Addis Ababa City Administration Transport Bureau has announced plans to introduce e-ticketing to replace the paper tickets and ease commuter management.
Passengers have long complained about the long queues they have to endure before they get tickets at each bus stop but the introduction of the e-ticketing system will allow commuters to share one ticket as long as it is still valid.
Many passengers complain that ticketing of the Anbessa buses is backward and uncomfortable as people are required to queue in a long line whether on a hot sunny or rainy day along the bus to buy the trip’s ticket through a window.
Launched in 1945 by Emperor Haile Selassie and nationalised in 1975 by the government, the Anbessa City Bus Enterprise (ACBE) has for over seven decades served 93 routes in and around Addis Ababa. However, it has faced problems as out of the 540 city buses it owns, nearly half have broken down causing strain on the firm that operates on 93 routes with each bus carrying 100 passengers (30 seated and 70 standing).
Due to the increasing city population also estimated at 2 million in 2011 and a collective distance of 54,000 km daily the bus company management wouldn’t manage to track down who has paid or vice versa. Monitoring such crowds is also cumbersome, therefore the launch of e-ticketing service will not only reduce fraud but bring with it professionalism and better management and record keeping.
