Earlier this year, I wrote about how the intersection of the roads between Malé, Hulhule and Hulhumale could be improved. This included adding more traffic lights as well as changing the pattern of lights which would allow vehicular traffic to move between the islands more efficiently. I recently found out that some improvements have actually been made to the intersection. Not only have more lights been added, but there are now turning lights! In addition, the traffic lights also have timers which show how long a light is going to last. This greatly improves safety as drivers will know from a distance if they can make it past a green light. And drivers who are stopped at red lights will know how long they have to wait before they can move again. I know it’s very unlikely, but I would like to think that my post had something to do with the change.

Traffic light timers heading into Malé

In this post, I’m going to once more suggest some improvements that can be made to an existing system; namely, the bus network in the greater Malé area.

The Current System

The greater Malé bus network consists of 13 routes. These include routes between Malé, Hulhule and the two phases of Hulhumale, as well as internal routes in Malé, Hulhumale and Villingili. Inter-island routes typically make use of double decker buses, whereas the internal routes usually have smaller single decker buses. The routes all operate on a loop rather than a back and forth point-to-point system. There is no fixed timetable, but buses usually arrive every 15 minutes during peak times (every 20-30 minutes off-peak) between 5:30 AM and 12:15 AM the next day.

Good things about the current system

Before we can get to improvements, it’s useful to know what is being done well. And I know I can be very complainy sometimes, but I do actually think that there are some things that are good about the current system:

  1. Coverage – The bus network covers a wide area and therefore caters to the needs of a wide range of people.
  2. Cost – The buses are very cheap to use. Travel on internal routes in Villingili and Hulhumale costs just MVR 5. And the most expensive routes between Malé and Hulhumale Phase 2 cost only MVR 15. By comparison, a taxi between Malé and Hulhumale will cost upwards of MVR 75.
  3. Accessibility – The double decker buses used on the network are wheelchair accessible, and have designated seating for people with special needs. However, there are still some high floor buses used in the system which aren’t as disabled-friendly.
  4. Comfort – The buses are modern, safe, comfortable, and (perhaps most importantly) air conditioned.

All of these factors incentivise usage of the bus network, which is a good thing because more people in buses means fewer people using cars and motorbikes, which in turn means a whole lot of good things for liveability (e.g. cleaner air, quieter and safer streets etc.)

A view from the upper deck – the buses are quite comfortable

However, having said all of that, there are several aspects of the system which can be improved. Let’s get straight into it:

Improving the System

Make it easier to navigate

Despite the extensive coverage of the current network, it is not easy to navigate. Of course, once you’ve used it a few times and understand how it works, it becomes second nature. However, if you’re new to the system, it’s very unintuitive, and the learning curve is much steeper than it needs to be. There are several factors at play here.

Buses don’t stop at every stop

There are stretches of road, particularly in Hulhumale, which have several bus stops along them. However, none of the buses will stop at every single one of them. Instead each route has its own designated stops (with some overlap between routes). One positive is that buses will stop at all its designated stops along its route. The problem is knowing where these are. If you don’t know where exactly your bus stops, there is a chance that you will miss your bus because it will go right past you to a different stop.

Now, the fact that not all buses stop everywhere is not inherently a bad thing. There are several transport systems around the world where this happens. However, there is a reason why this is an issue with the Malé bus network:

Bus stops have no signage

This is perhaps the biggest problem with the Malé bus system. But it’s also very easy to fix.

Around the world, it is standard for any type of transport stop to provide people with most, if not all of the following information:

  • Name of the stop. Typically this is the name of the area in the city where the stop is located, but it also could be the name of a nearby street or local landmark. Sometimes, stops can be numbered as well.
  • Direction of travel. This could be whichever stop is at the end of the line, or it could be a general area (e.g. “city-bound” or “north-bound”. In the case of the Malé network, it might be something like “Towards Hulhumale”)
  • Available routes. Some stops might be for only one route, while others might be for more. To make navigation easier, routes usually have their own names, numbers, and colours (on maps).
  • Timetable. This could be timetable for the stop itself, or for the whole network. Sometimes, it’s enough just to have the frequency of services. For busier stops, it’s common to have electronic displays showing when the next vehicle is going to arrive.
  • Maps. This could be a route map showing all the stops on the route(s) available from that stop. There could be a map of the entire transport network. There could also be a map of the local area. Ideally there would be all three.

Currently, the stops on the Malé bus network do not provide any of this information. Instead, you have to use the Raajje Transport Link Website where buses are tracked live. This is quite handy, especially since the buses aren’t that frequent. But since the stops have no signage, you need to have really good spatial and geographic awareness to figure out where you are and where you want to be. There are QR codes which you can scan to get the information, but I don’t think that should be necessary.

To me, these QR codes seem like a gimmicky attempt to look technologically advanced. Start with basic signage and then move on to more fancy stuff.

All of this can be solved with a few physical maps (not ones that you have to access online) and some extra signs. This is a very cheap and easy fix and it would make navigation so much easier.

As a side note, the signage should be primarily in Dhivehi, reflecting the majority of patrons. Providing information in English is basically a given, but I also believe it would be good to make information available in Bengali as well.

I know everyone can read English, but it’s the principle of it!! Also, use actual Dhivehi names for these places….like what is “West Park”???

Routes Should be Lines, not Loops

I believe that any form of mass transit is better when you can get to where you need to go, and come back the same way. It’s a lot more intuitive and therefore a lot more appealing compared to a system where you’re going to different places at different times for different things, which is what happens when the routes are loopy.

For example, Route 1 goes from the west of Male, stopping at some stops along the south, and then goes to Hulhulmale, north on Nirolhu Magu before looping back down at the canal and going along the centre of Hulhumale before going to Male again. This works if you want to spread out a whole lot of people who are going from male to Hulhumale, but it is a major inconvenience if you’re on Nirolhu Magu and you want to go to Male (because you have to go the really long way) or if you need to go back a few stops (because you’d have to go through the whole loop again). Below you can see the Hulhumale section of route 1.

If the bus routes were streamlined, it would be possible to run more buses in both directions, making travel more convenient. Here’s a sample I made on MetroDreamin:

There are only two routes but it shows the principle of the concept. Both lines go from Male to Hulhumale Phase 2 but cover different sections. Bidirectional travel would be possible on both lines. The stops don’t have to be in the spots shown on he map, but you get the idea. You could easy add intra-island lines that follow this same principle.

Make Payment Easier

I mentioned before that the buses are quite cheap, which is good. What’s not so good is the way you pay, or more specifically, the lack of available information about how you pay.

There are several ways:

  • Dhathuru card – a smartcard for cashless payments that you scan when you enter the bus. Someone said they don’t sell these any more but a lot of people still use them. In any case, I don’t know where you would even buy one.
  • Paper tickets – You can buy these from the Hulhumale ferry terminal or the main bus stop in Malé on Boduthakurufaanu Magu. They have a QR code which you scan when you enter the bus.
  • Online – From the Raajje Transport Link website you can buy tickets for whichever route you want to travel on. You will be emailed QR codes which you can print or scan directly from your phone when you enter the bus. I would say this is the best option for tourists. If you’re using your phone, make sure you hold it well below the scanner. There were a few times when I had to awkwardly wait in front of the bus driver waving my phone up and down because it wouldn’t scan.
  • Debit card – you can use a debit card in the same way you would use the Dhathuru card – just tap to pay. If you’re doing this as a tourist, it would be best to know what conversion fees your bank charges.

I’ve heard people say that one of the most important rules of running a business is to make it easy for people to give you money. In that regard, MTCC is quite successful with the multiple payment options. The issue is, this hasn’t really been communicated anywhere. These options should be clearly listed on any and all official websites, as well as displayed at bus stops, in multiple languages. To take it a step further, they could even make videos explaining and showing how to pay.

I think the ideal scenario would be to have off board fare collection. This would mean that people pay before they board the bus. This means that people could get on faster and the bus would spend less time at stops.

Conclusion

Here’s how we make the Malé bus system better:

  • Signage at bus stops indicating location, route, direction and timing
  • Streamlining bus routes so that two way travel is possible on all routes – this would also mean adding new stops, but it would result in more frequent services
  • Providing more information about payment, and potentially using off board payment instead
  • Providing more information in general about how/where/when to use the buses

We made the traffic lights happen, now make this happen too!