Travel car parks in Bunia, nerve centres of road traffic in the Ituri region, are the scene of sadly recurring scenes. Access to the cabins of travel vehicles has become a real obstacle course, where ticket collectors compete for customers in a frantic competition, often devoid of any professional ethics. This situation, noted in an alarming manner by a Fatshimetrie reporter, raises crucial questions about the safety and respect of users on Congolese roads.
Ticket collectors, too often without identification vests, engage in verbal and even physical skirmishes to attract passengers on board the vehicles. Customers, whether pedestrians or motorcyclists, must navigate through this jungle of aggressive solicitations, risking finding themselves at the heart of fights and arguments that can lead to the loss of valuable objects or even injuries.
This tense and chaotic atmosphere seriously harms the experience of travelers who pass through the various car parks in Bunia. Testimonies collected in the field express the passengers’ fed up with this deplorable practice. One of them deplores the brutal treatment reserved for customers, warning of the dramatic consequences that this could cause, whether falls, material damage or injuries.
Drivers, for their part, try to explain this state of affairs by the security constraints imposed by the persistent insecurity reigning in the Ituri region. These road professionals feel trapped, forced to operate on a limited number of routes due to the threats posed by armed groups operating in the region. They stress the crucial importance of an improvement in the security situation to allow for the efficient and orderly operation of transport activities.
Faced with this worrying picture, residents are urging the relevant authorities, including those responsible for the car parks and the Mayor of Bunia, to take drastic measures to regulate this chaotic situation. Concrete actions must be put in place to establish a climate of mutual respect, security and order in the travel car parks, thus guaranteeing the well-being and safety of road users in the region. It is imperative to demonstrate rigour and firmness to put an end to these undignified and dangerous practices, and to restore a serene and secure environment for all.