The shift towards organized transportation should not necessarily mean displacing the thousands of Syrian families who depend on the shared taxi sector for their livelihood, nor should it mean handing control of the streets to companies that might impose price gouging in the future.
The true national alternative lies in localizing investment and transforming individuals from scattered operators into shareholders within large institutional entities.
The Structure of Shareholding Companies and Localizing Manufacturing
The state can sponsor the establishment of national shareholding companies that combine the public and local private sectors. Shareholders would contribute their vehicles as in-kind shares or be compensated with shares that guarantee them a sustainable income. These companies would be managed with modern tracking systems and electronic payment methods, ensuring that the substantial cash flow remains within the national economic cycle.
This should be accompanied by a strategic move towards local manufacturing and conversion, instead of relying entirely on the import of expensive electric buses. This can be achieved by launching a national project to convert existing engines to run on locally available natural gas and by concluding agreements to establish assembly lines that guarantee the availability of spare parts and protect the fleet from becoming scrap in the future.
Sovereign Funding and Breaking the Decision-Making Monopoly
The National Fleet Modernization Fund plays a crucial role as a financial instrument, providing low-interest loans to existing operators to upgrade their vehicles. This is contingent upon operating under a unified management structure overseen by the governorates, thus achieving the desired organization without falling into the trap of monopolies.
It is also essential to break the energy monopoly by diversifying sources, including diesel, gas, and electricity generated from alternative energy sources in garages. This ensures uninterrupted service under all circumstances, while the state maintains absolute control over pricing and route decisions, and enforces strict oversight to prevent companies from halting operations or manipulating public services.
Operational Fairness and Sustainability
Achieving social justice requires the implementation of a mandatory public service system within investment contracts. This system would require new entities to operate services during peak and off-peak hours based on social, not just economic, feasibility, in exchange for encouraging tax incentives.
The real danger lies not in the organization but in dependence on external parties and the depletion of foreign purchasing power, while the solution lies in the complete Syrianization of the transport sector and the transformation of current operators into key pillars in a modern system supported by the state technically and financially.
Zaman Al Wasl
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