'Le Bus' transport system dwindling into oblivion…

Starting with 50 buses, only 10 buses are fairly operational in the company today.

Gone are the days when Yaounde inhabitants enjoyed the services of a succinct urban transport means offered by the sole company in town, Transnational Industries Cameroon (Le Bus) at an affordable price of FCFA 150. Today, the services of “Le Bus” seem to have dwindle into oblivion with few of its buses plying limited areas in the city of Yaounde.

Yaounde inhabitants say the air conditioned “Le Bus” buses that use to ply through 13 different roads in the town, which led to different neighbourhoods, are no more. Joy N, an inhabitant, says besides the fact that these buses were becoming unpleasant to board due to lack of air condition, passengers were not even sure to reach their destination due to constant breakdown of the buses. Another inhabitant in Yaounde, Solange M, says today, it is rare to even see “Le Bus” ply different roads in the town of Yaounde.

This is why a passenger wishing to use Line 11 of the buses which used to move from the Casino supermarket located at the heart of the town to the Odza neighbourhood, some 16 kilometre away can spend an entire day at the Casino pick-up point without seeing a single bus going towards that area of the town.

The situation is deplorable says Mahamat K, another inhabitant living at the Mendong neighbourhood, especially as taxi fare has increased making transportation difficult for an average Cameroon.

The interim Director General of “Le Bus”, Samuel Anjoh Mboe says “since the creation of the company, they are operating under difficult conditions principally because the founders had no clear vision.”

Samuel Anjoh explained that the importation of air conditioned buses was un-adapted to the climatic conditions of the town coupled with the lack of appropriate technical assistance from the bus manufacturers.

According to the interim general manager, this accounts for the current acute shortage of buses from 50 to only 10 fairly operational buses. Currently, some 40 dilapidated buses are packed within the premises of “Le Bus.” Mr Anjoh says with the services of trained mechanics and available funds, some 20 amongst these buses can be repaired.

While noting that the company started with eight lines and later 13, due to the current shortage in buses, Mr Anjoh says today, priority has been given to two lines that is Lines 7 and 10 which run from Camtel to Beatitudes and from Artisanat to the University of Yaounde II in Soa, respectively.

With the poor quality of these buses, they can no longer work from 5:00 a.m. to midnight as it was the case before. “The buses manage to work from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.”, notes the interim General Manager who revealed that with current negotiations with a Chinese bus manufacturer and rapid financial backing from the State, they hope to revamp the current situation of “Le Bus”.