Algerian public resentment grows over dire transport system

The repercussions from a bus crash that killed 18 people on August 15th in Algeria continues to echo, as reported by The Arab Weekly plus agencies.

The bus crashed and plunged into Oued El-Harrach in the capital city of Algiers. Alongside the 18 who were killed, 25 people were also left injured.

According to survivors of the incident, the “driver started shouting, then the bus plunged into the Oued.” The driver, who was injured from the crash, explained that the steering wheel locked, and attempted to save some passengers, but was unable to because of his injuries.

Public frustration continues to heighten amid the government’s attempts to contain the situation with several different arrangements. The crash is a symbol of the dreadful situation of Algeria’s transport sector and infrastructure, and has exposed the government’s economic failures regarding the revival and modernisation of public services. 

This anger has also been strengthened by other deadly road crashes that have occurred recently in Souk Ahras and Ain Defla. Algerian citizens have taken to social media to vent their anger over the decay of transport as a last resort.

Authorities have quickly adopted several measures, however there is an apparent miscommunication between what the public wants and what senior officials and ministers have been doing. Some steps taken by them have backfired, as discriminatory practices have been exposed and regional sensitivities among citizens have been intensified. 

Specifically, their handling of victims lacked a unified legislative framework. The government has pledged that victims will be financially compensated, with $7,000 given per victim. They have also declared a one-day national mourning with flags lowered and the presence of ministers and presidential advisers at funerals, to mark their solidarity. However, this has only deepened resentment from the public, with several Algerians pointing out that these measures were absent in the 2023 Tamanrasset bus disaster, in which 34 people died in a fire.

There has been a divide between officials and stakeholders on what the root cause was for the rising death toll. Transport Minister Said Sayoud argued that the blame lay with human error, such as reckless driving and poor vehicle maintenance. Contrastingly, transport unions, operators, and vehicle owners blamed government policies, such as the crumbling infrastructure and inadequate maintenance.

Sayoud has claimed that modernising the bus fleet was a long-term project that would be carried out in phases. He said that all buses would undergo technical inspections, and confirmed that owners were pressing for customs exemptions regarding the government’s decision to allow imports of buses under 5 years old.

The Arab Weekly plus agencies, Maghrebi.org