Anbessa City Bus Enterprise (ACBE) has served Addis Ababa and few other regional towns over the past seven decades as a major public mode of public transport. It launched operation as a share company of the royal family of emperor Haile-selassie I until it was nationalized in 1975 when Derge assumed power, available data show.
Today, ACBE provides a relatively affordable mass transportation service in and around Addis Ababa in the face of a wide variety of challenges. The twelve meters yellow and red coloured vehicles go to the extent of becoming one of the defining attributes of the capital. Over the past seventy years, the buses have been transporting millions of residents of the city and its environs in a mixed road traffic system, though the road networks of the city had been poor in quality and the topography of the city so challenging for its service.
Many agree that the services of the enterprise have proven a remarkable surge during the past few decades. This time a fleet of six hundred fifty buses are operating, in a full day base, covering ninety five routes within and fifteen more routes around the city and in nearby towns in Oromia zone. On top of that, it is striving to its level best to curb the ever increasing acute transportation shortage of the capital through giving supportive transportation services in twenty nine additional routes effective during rush hours, according to sources. The enterprise also renders contract base services for various institutions, says Amanuel Tezera, Yeka Depot Transport Service Sub Process Owner of ACBE. He also added that ACBE has allocated eighty buses to give premium service for operators of micro and small scale industry who engage in housing projects, thereby, contributing its share to accelerating the pace of the constructions. That the case, the enterprise recently launched five additional routes following the increased demand of some places in the city. Amanuel also pointed out that the enterprise is making preparations to launch circular route around the ring road of the capital, but only after maintaining some of DAF buses which are out of function and after receiving the remaining locally assembled buses from Bishiftu Automotive and Locomotive Industry (BALI).
Some passengers whom this writer approached for an interview, however, complains about problems in the enterprises services . Adane Bekele is one among them. He was awaiting for bus number fifty seven at Lagar terminal, near the Head quarter of Ethiop-Djibouti railway Company. According to him, it usually takes him more than an hour to get this bus. Consequently, he is always late at work and to get back home. Adane does not know where and how he can express his complaints. Yeshi Kahissay was also lining up awaiting for route number forty-five bus, from Lagar-Addisu Gebeya via Churchill avenue. She expressed getting this bus as a nightmare. She also said awaiting for this bus in a dusty area and tropical burning sun is too boring. Merega Debela, another commuter, desperately awaited for route number seventy six bus around Hayahulet Mazoriya station. “I was here despite the awful afternoon hot sunshine for over thirty minutes and I saw the bus travelling to Megenagna terminal but it did not comeback.” To him some buses detour their route while people like him waste their time awaiting at the stations.
There are other more people who share the above complaints. This being the case, few routes have ample number of buses than others. Thus, customers are too comfortable, says Mulu Mamo who usually travels with bus number six from around Addis Ababa Abattoirs Enterprise to Pizza . She also mentioned some routes have more number of buses while others have only few.
Amanuel admits the existence of the aforesaid problems. “The ongoing road constructions in most places in Addis Ababa coupled with the mixed traffic system are negatively impacting the services of the enterprise. Due to that customers may stay long time awaiting for buses at stations. Besides, most of the old roads are too narrow and busy, a case in point is the road from Arrarat to Kotebe,” he said. According to him, the enterprise is making attempts to mitigate these problems, in the routes where roads are under construction, they are providing services via detour roads. Responding why some buses change routes he sad , “our transport operation system is flexible. And the mobility of people varies from time to time within a day. And when there is less mobility in some routes and more in another, we are obliged to change the routes of the buses and people need not to misunderstand that.”
ACBE has means to collect complaints of customers. We have transport coordinating committees in some routes. There are also committees for number twenty five, number sixty and number twenty six. The committees work hand-in-glove with us and it creates an opportunity for us to collect complaints. Not only that, according to him, people also visit the officers at different terminals and even the headquarter, Amanuel explained. He also made it clear that ACBE has recently launched a free line 8642,which allows us to receive complaints and put solution in place when problems arise.
Today, ACBE provides a relatively affordable mass transportation service in and around Addis Ababa in the face of a wide variety of challenges. The twelve meters yellow and red coloured vehicles go to the extent of becoming one of the defining attributes of the capital. Over the past seventy years, the buses have been transporting millions of residents of the city and its environs in a mixed road traffic system, though the road networks of the city had been poor in quality and the topography of the city so challenging for its service.
Many agree that the services of the enterprise have proven a remarkable surge during the past few decades. This time a fleet of six hundred fifty buses are operating, in a full day base, covering ninety five routes within and fifteen more routes around the city and in nearby towns in Oromia zone. On top of that, it is striving to its level best to curb the ever increasing acute transportation shortage of the capital through giving supportive transportation services in twenty nine additional routes effective during rush hours, according to sources. The enterprise also renders contract base services for various institutions, says Amanuel Tezera, Yeka Depot Transport Service Sub Process Owner of ACBE. He also added that ACBE has allocated eighty buses to give premium service for operators of micro and small scale industry who engage in housing projects, thereby, contributing its share to accelerating the pace of the constructions. That the case, the enterprise recently launched five additional routes following the increased demand of some places in the city. Amanuel also pointed out that the enterprise is making preparations to launch circular route around the ring road of the capital, but only after maintaining some of DAF buses which are out of function and after receiving the remaining locally assembled buses from Bishiftu Automotive and Locomotive Industry (BALI).
Some passengers whom this writer approached for an interview, however, complains about problems in the enterprises services . Adane Bekele is one among them. He was awaiting for bus number fifty seven at Lagar terminal, near the Head quarter of Ethiop-Djibouti railway Company. According to him, it usually takes him more than an hour to get this bus. Consequently, he is always late at work and to get back home. Adane does not know where and how he can express his complaints. Yeshi Kahissay was also lining up awaiting for route number forty-five bus, from Lagar-Addisu Gebeya via Churchill avenue. She expressed getting this bus as a nightmare. She also said awaiting for this bus in a dusty area and tropical burning sun is too boring. Merega Debela, another commuter, desperately awaited for route number seventy six bus around Hayahulet Mazoriya station. “I was here despite the awful afternoon hot sunshine for over thirty minutes and I saw the bus travelling to Megenagna terminal but it did not comeback.” To him some buses detour their route while people like him waste their time awaiting at the stations.
There are other more people who share the above complaints. This being the case, few routes have ample number of buses than others. Thus, customers are too comfortable, says Mulu Mamo who usually travels with bus number six from around Addis Ababa Abattoirs Enterprise to Pizza . She also mentioned some routes have more number of buses while others have only few.
Amanuel admits the existence of the aforesaid problems. “The ongoing road constructions in most places in Addis Ababa coupled with the mixed traffic system are negatively impacting the services of the enterprise. Due to that customers may stay long time awaiting for buses at stations. Besides, most of the old roads are too narrow and busy, a case in point is the road from Arrarat to Kotebe,” he said. According to him, the enterprise is making attempts to mitigate these problems, in the routes where roads are under construction, they are providing services via detour roads. Responding why some buses change routes he sad , “our transport operation system is flexible. And the mobility of people varies from time to time within a day. And when there is less mobility in some routes and more in another, we are obliged to change the routes of the buses and people need not to misunderstand that.”
ACBE has means to collect complaints of customers. We have transport coordinating committees in some routes. There are also committees for number twenty five, number sixty and number twenty six. The committees work hand-in-glove with us and it creates an opportunity for us to collect complaints. Not only that, according to him, people also visit the officers at different terminals and even the headquarter, Amanuel explained. He also made it clear that ACBE has recently launched a free line 8642,which allows us to receive complaints and put solution in place when problems arise.
The acuteness of transportation problem of the city is soaring steadily from time to time. Workers and students always face fierce challenge of transportation shortage, spoiling their morning fresh energy and getting fatigue before they carryout their daily routines. The transport shortage in rush hours is beyond the capacity of any service providing body ,be they Minibus taxis, Higer buses or Anbessa. Anbessa city bus takes the great share in moving residents daily. Available data show that ACBE transported over one hundred twenty eight million passengers in 2004 EC budget year, for instance. Amanuel on his part builds on that saying the enterprise transports over four hundred thousand people a day.
Yet, it looks like that the enterprise is hardly giving operation with full capacity. There are manifold reasons to say so. Most of the old DAF brand buses failed to give function and are decaying in the backyards of the enterprise's depots. Even the rest DAF buses frequently interrupt function for either minor or major defects. In fact, the locally assembled Bishoftu buses are filling these gaps. But, still a considerable number of these new buses are also facing recurrent defects, though it is said to be minor. More than two hundred of them had been in the enterprise's garage for maintenance last month, for instance.
Nigussu Lakachew works as a Technical Service and Automotive Parts Production Process owner with ACBE. According to him, the enterprise has four hundred sixty-one DAF brand old buses, of these one hundred eighteen buses' engine have already failed. “This is for obvious reasons,” said Nigussu. “Most of them worked between twelve and seventeen years. And the rest also hardly functions with frequent maintenance. As genuine spare parts are hard to find for these buses, we fix counterfeit parts that we produce ourselves or take parts from non functioning buses. Sadly most of their parts cannot be produced locally. In fact, we ordered to get the delivery of genuine parts in 2004, but it is evident that the buses are old models and the company that manufactured them has long started producing modern models and their parts. However, we communicated with suppliers and managed to get the parts and hopefully we will be delivered soon.” He added. Thus, at least we will bring sixty of the non functioning DAF buses into operation, according to Nigussu.
We have also another project which cuts our spare parts cost almost by half. The project is envisioned to get all the old buses into operation. We have brought this idea after Egypt Power granted us full spare parts that is enough to fix one DAF bus free of charge. And we re-power one DAF bus as a pilot testing. Though some technical weakness has been experienced, this bus is functioning for the last six months. “we have also commented on the weaknesses we observed, and Egypt Power promised to correct them,” he pointed out. Now we floated bidding for the procurement of spare parts and five companies_including Egypt Power_bought the bid document, of which two of them have won the technical specifications. Our next step is to consider their financial specifications and one of them would deliver the parts, he unveiled. This strategy may help us even to bring the old and idle Mercedes buses into the road traffic, added Nigussu.
According to Nigussu ACBE has received three hundred fifty rigid and one hundred nine articulated locally assembled buses from Bishoftu Automotive and Locomotive Industry. To him assembling these buses locally is one great leap to achieve the knowledge and technology transfer ambition of the nation. “This project serves as a steadfast ground as it creates capacity for the nation to manufacture vehicles locally in the near future.” He remarked.
However, the new buses encountered some technical defects on one of its components of gearshift system. “One important component called Servo, fixed in the system has been found poor in quality. As a result, over two hundred of the new buses have repeatedly failed to operate,” according to Nigussu. The enterprise discussed the defect with BALI, then the company communicated and convinced the Chinese company that supplied the parts. Hence,all the components damaged have been substituted with the suppliers own cost, he added. “But, though we were delivered parts in three rounds, all were again poor in quality, most amazingly we fixed the third round to the buses and most failed before they left our compound.” Explained Nigussu. Now we are delivered for the fourth time and this one looks like better in quality. He has further indicated that, this component will be substituted for all the buses we received as well as for the buses we are soon to receive.
The capital's growth in all aspects obviously is creating an increasing demand for transportation than ever before. In fact, the city administration has both long and short term plans to curb this though challenge. The ongoing project, Light Rail Transit (LRT) can be one in this regard. Bearing that in mind, putting a sound solution in place for the shortcomings mentioned earlier would be indisputable. Thus, looking for genuine parts for the idle (and decaying) buses left in the different depots of the enterprise can have layers of benefits like,it positively impacts to curb the transportation shortage of the city and public properties would escape decaying. There are enough reasons to say so, the writer of this piece has observed many buses in the two depots of the enterprise, Yeka and Mekanissa. If these vehicles are found not functional any longer, they should be disposed based on the guidelines set for this purpose. Another very important point is, customers need to get enough rooms to deliver their complaints. Thus, the free line serving this purpose need to be made public in various ways.
Yet, it looks like that the enterprise is hardly giving operation with full capacity. There are manifold reasons to say so. Most of the old DAF brand buses failed to give function and are decaying in the backyards of the enterprise's depots. Even the rest DAF buses frequently interrupt function for either minor or major defects. In fact, the locally assembled Bishoftu buses are filling these gaps. But, still a considerable number of these new buses are also facing recurrent defects, though it is said to be minor. More than two hundred of them had been in the enterprise's garage for maintenance last month, for instance.
Nigussu Lakachew works as a Technical Service and Automotive Parts Production Process owner with ACBE. According to him, the enterprise has four hundred sixty-one DAF brand old buses, of these one hundred eighteen buses' engine have already failed. “This is for obvious reasons,” said Nigussu. “Most of them worked between twelve and seventeen years. And the rest also hardly functions with frequent maintenance. As genuine spare parts are hard to find for these buses, we fix counterfeit parts that we produce ourselves or take parts from non functioning buses. Sadly most of their parts cannot be produced locally. In fact, we ordered to get the delivery of genuine parts in 2004, but it is evident that the buses are old models and the company that manufactured them has long started producing modern models and their parts. However, we communicated with suppliers and managed to get the parts and hopefully we will be delivered soon.” He added. Thus, at least we will bring sixty of the non functioning DAF buses into operation, according to Nigussu.
We have also another project which cuts our spare parts cost almost by half. The project is envisioned to get all the old buses into operation. We have brought this idea after Egypt Power granted us full spare parts that is enough to fix one DAF bus free of charge. And we re-power one DAF bus as a pilot testing. Though some technical weakness has been experienced, this bus is functioning for the last six months. “we have also commented on the weaknesses we observed, and Egypt Power promised to correct them,” he pointed out. Now we floated bidding for the procurement of spare parts and five companies_including Egypt Power_bought the bid document, of which two of them have won the technical specifications. Our next step is to consider their financial specifications and one of them would deliver the parts, he unveiled. This strategy may help us even to bring the old and idle Mercedes buses into the road traffic, added Nigussu.
According to Nigussu ACBE has received three hundred fifty rigid and one hundred nine articulated locally assembled buses from Bishoftu Automotive and Locomotive Industry. To him assembling these buses locally is one great leap to achieve the knowledge and technology transfer ambition of the nation. “This project serves as a steadfast ground as it creates capacity for the nation to manufacture vehicles locally in the near future.” He remarked.
However, the new buses encountered some technical defects on one of its components of gearshift system. “One important component called Servo, fixed in the system has been found poor in quality. As a result, over two hundred of the new buses have repeatedly failed to operate,” according to Nigussu. The enterprise discussed the defect with BALI, then the company communicated and convinced the Chinese company that supplied the parts. Hence,all the components damaged have been substituted with the suppliers own cost, he added. “But, though we were delivered parts in three rounds, all were again poor in quality, most amazingly we fixed the third round to the buses and most failed before they left our compound.” Explained Nigussu. Now we are delivered for the fourth time and this one looks like better in quality. He has further indicated that, this component will be substituted for all the buses we received as well as for the buses we are soon to receive.
The capital's growth in all aspects obviously is creating an increasing demand for transportation than ever before. In fact, the city administration has both long and short term plans to curb this though challenge. The ongoing project, Light Rail Transit (LRT) can be one in this regard. Bearing that in mind, putting a sound solution in place for the shortcomings mentioned earlier would be indisputable. Thus, looking for genuine parts for the idle (and decaying) buses left in the different depots of the enterprise can have layers of benefits like,it positively impacts to curb the transportation shortage of the city and public properties would escape decaying. There are enough reasons to say so, the writer of this piece has observed many buses in the two depots of the enterprise, Yeka and Mekanissa. If these vehicles are found not functional any longer, they should be disposed based on the guidelines set for this purpose. Another very important point is, customers need to get enough rooms to deliver their complaints. Thus, the free line serving this purpose need to be made public in various ways.
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