Youth Talk

I love public transport. As someone who’s spent most of his life in Bahrain this statement might seem slightly strange, but I honestly do love travelling en masse, regardless of which form of transport.

To the majority of readers, who are no doubt accustomed to the comforts of private transport and more often than not, private drivers, the thought of metros, trams and shuttle buses are indeed an alien concept.

Growing up in Singapore, where the metro is the main form of transport, appears to have influenced me immensely. Going to kindergarten, the local mall or hospital, you name it; I vividly recall taking the MRT to get there.

Given the relatively poor state of infrastructure (although improving) over here, I always look forward to travelling to other cities. In fact, as a rule of thumb, I insist on travelling on any available public transport while abroad.

I’ve taken the tram in Amsterdam, cable cars across Hong Kong, the metro in New Delhi and the ubiquitous double-decker buses throughout London.

While there are still many improvements to be made, I applaud Bahrain for unrolling the new bus system. While I am yet to experience the new buses, they look far more appealing and comfortable. Connectivity has improved immensely and who doesn’t want free Wi-Fi?

Reportedly there are plans to launch multiple metro lines from the airport, all of which will eventually feed into the pan-Gulf Railway. Hopefully, recent reports of an island-wide metro system actually bear fruit and don’t end up becoming another ‘Bahrain Disneyland’.