Buses bought to die

Transportation within Lebanon, especially within the greater Beirut area, has become synonymous with congestion and chaos. The system is built, almost entirely, around the personal car with a road network that is severely wanting in both quality and structure. Tragically, public transport has become little more than a scarce afterthought. “If we carry on along this path then we are just building one giant car park,” warns Elie Helou, transport engineer at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR). See also: Photos: Lebanon's historic train route Public policy missed the train The Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Ghazi Aridi, has been grabbing headlines for months with promises to deliver on a signature policy of his to purchase a fleet of 250 buses. In mid-January the ministry proceeded with the tender for the fleet and the delivery of the buses is expected by late summer. Could it be that Lebanon is