Hashemite University students want ‘better buses’

AMMAN — Hashemite University students said on Monday they need "new and better" public transport buses after two female students were injured on a bus on Sunday. 

Ibrahim Obeidat, the head of student and transport affairs at the Zarqa-based Hashemite University's student council, said the state of the buses is worsening day by day. 

"Students have been having problems in transportation over the past 10 years. We used to call on the [Mutakamilah Transportation (AutoBus) Company] to upgrade its fleet of buses but now we call for changing the company altogether," he added.

In Sunday's incident one of the two students, Ola Kareem, suffered mild burns while on the bus.

"I was sitting in the back of the bus and we noticed that the driver stopped suddenly for a few moments, and then we saw smoke rise from under the seats in front of us. That's when I felt hot water spill on my leg," she told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Kareem said the incident took place while they were on their way to Amman on Sunday at 3pm, adding that her colleagues called the Civil Defence Department to take her to a nearby hospital. 

"I was admitted to Prince Feisal Hospital and was discharged on the same day," she added. 

AutoBus Director Moayad Abu Farda said the incident was caused by a heater exploding. 

"The student was not badly injured and the incident had nothing to do with how old the bus is. It was also out of the driver's control," Abu Farda added.   

He stressed that AutoBus vehicles undergo regular maintenance to ensure the safety of the buses, adding that 85 employees work in maintenance. 

Obeidat said no solutions have been found despite the meetings held by the transport committee with AutoBus representatives, the Ministry of Transport and the university's management. 

"They promised to find a solution in one week and nothing has been achieved," he told The Jordan Times. 

AutoBus vehicles take students from stops at Amman's Raghadan complex, Bayader Wadi Seer, Yajouz and Sahab to the university, according to Obeidat. 

He noted that students pay JD0.55 for this service. 

The university's student council said it will not ignore Sunday's incident and will take proper measures amidst "the silence of officials".

In a statement on its Facebook page, the council said it was meeting on Monday to discuss what happened and the latest developments in the transport issue.  

Several students commented on the statement, expressing their anger over the incident. 

Duha Al Fakhori demanded that the university deal with a new transport company. 

"The last time it was fractures, today it is burns and tomorrow God knows what will happen... we don't want promises... we need actions," she wrote.

"Hopefully we will get a result this time."