Khin Khin Tun, Szpytko Janusz: Transportation problems in Myanmar (Burma). (Problemy transportowe w Birmie.)

TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS IN MYANMAR

(BURMA)

PROBLEMY TRANSPORTOWE W BIRMIE

Khin Khin Tun

_{, Szpytko Janusz}

(1-Technological University, Kyaukse, Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of the Union of Myanmar;

2-AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland e-mail: makhinkhintun@gmail.com, szpytko@agh.edu.pl

Abstarct: This paper surveys the travel behavoir of bus-use commuters in Yangon, (Myanmar) and the transportation problem in Myanmar. The information regarding transportation system in Yangon(Myanmar), bus transportation service in Yangon, road transport in Myanmar for high ways and Myanmar (Burma) highway express buses are reported. Yangon is the former capital of Myanmar and also is a busy city and visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year. This paper represents the problem in urban bus transportation in Yangon,Myanmar. Streszczenie: Scharakteryzowano wybrane problemy transportowe w Birmie, w szczególności na przykładzie zagadnienia transportu autobusowego w byłej stolicy Yangon.

Myanmar also offers a variety of natural beauties and historical artifacts such as dazzling waterfalls, graceful lakes, enchanting caves, sparkling beaches, and the unique cultures of different ethnic groups in addition to the thousand year old golden pagodas scattered around Burma, especially in Bagan and Mandalay. The people of Myanmar can be called Burman or Burmese. Burmese people are friendly, pleasant, and charming. According to our clients, one of Myanmar's most appealing perspectives is its people. Burmese people are kind and willing to help. One lovely feature of Burmese people is their hospitality and welcoming heart towards all guests. When they meet foreigners, they do not think how to make money out of them, but how they can be have helped if asked.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is the official name and Capital is Yangon. Myanmar is the largest country on the mainland South East Asia Region with a total land area of 678,577 sq.km. China borders Myanmar on the North and East, Laos and Thailand border on the South- East, the Andaman Sea is on the South, and the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India are on the North-West. It has a long coastline which stretches 2,832 km in length.

This paper organized as follows. The next section reviews the transportation systems in Yangon (Myanmar), the characteristics of bus transportation service in Yangon. The last section reports Yangon current problems of urban bus transportation. Finally the conclusions are discussed.

2. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS IN MYANMAR

Because of Myanmar's near encirclement by mountain ranges, international land transportation is virtually nonexistent. Historically, Myanmar has been dependent on sea and river transport externally and internally, supplemented in modern times by the airplane.

Myanmar's roadways received the government's attention in the 90's, but not many improvements have been made. Approximately 12 percent of the roads are paved with an overwhelming majority being made of gravel (about 2/3). The remaining roads are not easily accessible by cars, but by jeeps or ox carts.

There are 27,000 km of roads of which 11.9% are paved. The US Department of State Travel Advisory noted that “Rangoon's main roads are generally in poor condition…Some roads are in serious disrepair…Most roads outside of Rangoon consist of one to two lanes and are potholed, often unpaved, and unlit at night… Few, if any, streets are adequately lit.”

There are 77 airports of which 37 are paved. Yangon International Airport is the main international airport. It is located 15 km north of the center of the capital. A new terminal that handles international passengers was completed in 2007. The old terminal is now used exclusive for domestic passengers. The airport has a capacity of 2.7 million passengers per year. Myanmar Airways is the majority government owned national carrier. It has a very poor safety record and many foreign governments urge their nationals to avoid using it. Among the airlines that service

the Yangon airport are Air China, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Indian Airlines and Thai Airways International. There are flights to Bangkok, Beijing, Chiang Mai, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taipei.

The government has spent heavily on the construction of the new capital trying to make it a showpiece of modernity. A new 323.2km 8-lane highway connecting Yangon with Naypyitaw was completed in March 2009. The airport at Naypyitaw is being upgraded. When work is finished in 2011, it will be able to accommodate 10.5 million passengers a year. The government has also announced plans to build a new railway station at the capital. A new parliament complex that has 31 buildings is under construction. The city has 5 golf courses, 7 resort-style hotels, drinkable tap water, a Western-style shopping mall, a large zoo and 24-hour electricity in a country that is beset by constant power outages. There is a 20 lane boulevard, which is rarely used because there are few private cars. The population is 930,000 but that includes 4 surrounding townships.

An additional 1,868 km of railroad has been constructed since 1988 bringing the total to 5,030 km. Much of the rail network is in very poor condition. Passenger service is slow and overcrowded and there are frequent accidents. The maximum speed for freight trains is just 24 km per hour. During the monsoon season, much of the rail network is impossible because of flooding.

Yangon is the most important commercial center of Myanmar with about 4.1 million people in the area of 598.76 km2 _{(United Nations, 2007). The central}

business district is located at the city’s southern part, adjacent to the confluence of Yangon River and Bago River. Administratively, the city is divided into four districts and 33 townships. The districts are called the North, East, West, and South. According to Zhang et al. (2008), the modal share of bus transportation in Yangon reaches 84%, while only six percent is by rail and two percent by private cars. Since the fare of rail service is much cheaper than that of bus services, the rail is used mainly by low-income people. Motorcycles and bicycles are banned in most urban areas in Yangon city. This is because of the difficulties of the car ownership, the low quality of rail service, and the regulation of motorbike and para-transit service in the central business district, high taxi fares, most people who commute from suburban areas to the central business district use the bus transport service. There are mainly four types of transportation modes available in Yangon: private car, rail, taxi and bus. The vast majority of urban transportation relies on the bus transportation in Yangon.

By Taxi - Taxis are the best means of Yangon transportation. These are available

everywhere in the city. In other words, you will get a taxi from anywhere in Yangon. Once you hire a taxi, just inform the driver about your destination. He will take you to your desired location. Taxis in Yangon are cheap and affordable.

By Bus - Buses are useful means of transportation in Yangon, Myanmar. There are

commuters travel in Yangon by bus per day. Recently, CNG operated buses run in Yangon. This means of transportation costs according to the distance travelled.

By Train - Train is one of the most popular modes of transportation in Yangon in

Myanmar. In this city, Circular Trains are available. There are 11 local trains for circular services that operate for 37 railway stations in Yangon. The train fares are cheaper than the bus fares. The main railway station in Yangon is the Yangon Central Railways Station near Aung San Stadium.

The port of Yangon is the principle port handling about 90% of the exports and imports. It is operated by the Myanmar Port Authority, which is a government entity. The Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa Port, located 25 km south of the Yangon, is also considered part of the port complex. It is a multi-purpose container port that was constructed and is fully owned by Hutchison Port Holdings of Hong Kong. The Yangon Port is accessible to vessels 167 meters long with a draft of 9 meters. The Thilawa port can accommodate vessels of 176 meters long and 10 meters deep. The Indian government has announced plans to spend $103 million to upgrade the dilapidated port of Sittwe to provide India’s landlocked north-eastern states with access to the sea via the River Kaladan.

However, as Kato et al. (2010) points out, the quality of urban bus service in Yangon is unacceptably bad. The most of buses are second-handed and ill maintained. They often have the engine troubles even during the operation. They are inconvenient and uncomfortable due to the ill-operated service. No time table and no route map are shown to the public. Not only the visitors but also the local people have the difficulties to use the local bus system. Although many bus routes are operated in a wide network of the City, they are sometimes over-crowed due to the lack of vehicle’s capacity. The traffic congestion caused by the lack of road capacity leads to the chronic delay and unpunctuality of bus service particularly during the peak hours. The bus users have to wait for a long time at the bus stops to wait a next bus. The bus stops or terminals are also not well-designed. Some bus passengers must walk several minutes to transfer the buses at the bus stops/terminals. As the urban area grows, the travel distance has been also longer. Many local people have to travel long in the congested vehicles during the peak hours. To improve the quality of urban bus service is critically important in Yangon.

2.1. Bus Transportation Service in Yangon

There are the two types of local bus services in Yangon: the bus service given by bus companies and the bus service controlled by the bus control committees (BCCs). The bus companies are the large-scale private bus operators who own the bus vehicles, hire the drivers/conductors and operate the urban bus service in Yangon. The two bus companies are now supplying the bus service in Yangon: the Golden City Link Co. (GCL) and the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL). The BCCs are the non-profit organizations which control the small-scale individual bus owners. The individual bus owners own the bus vehicles

and lease the bus vehicles to the drivers and conductors. The individual bus owners must belong to one of the BCCs. There are a number of individual bus owners in Yangon.

There are the two types of bus fare systems in Yangon: a distance-based fare system and a constant fare system. First, the distance-based fare system is introduced into the bus routes controlled by the BCCs except for some special bus routes. A unique distance-based fare system is shared among all the BCCs: the minimum fare is 50 Kyats; the fare rises by 50 Kyats for every 5-mile after 5-mile travel; and the maximum fare is 250 Kyats. Second, the GCL has the constant fare system. Its fare is 300 Kyats per ride. Third, the UMEHL has the two types of fare systems. The one is the constant fare system which is applied to the routes where the air-conditioned city bus service is provided. Its fare is 200 Kyats per ride. The other is the distance-based fare system which is the same as that of BCCs. Generally, the bus fare is collected by the conductors serving in the bus vehicle or at the entrance of the vehicle. BCC officers are allocated to each gate and record the time of arrival and departure of the buses at the bus terminals. Bus drivers are not allowed to work for more than eight hours a day.

No time table of bus operation is available in Yangon. Although the rough information about the service frequency is widely known by the local people, it is not presented explicitly anywhere. As there is no information about the schedule of the first and last bus service of the day, they are not guaranteed at all. As the bus number is written only in Myanmar language, it is almost impossible to identify the destination for the people who have no experience to use the bus. As no information about the bus stop is presented, the visitors have no way to know the name of bus stop. Additionally, no information about the fare table is presented at the bus stops. The bus operation is also not well-controlled in Yangon. In practice, only the cycle time of bus operation is monitored by the BCC at the control gate. According to Kato et al. (2010), the local buses can be categorized into the following six types from the viewpoints of their function, design and capacity: city bus (air-conditioned); city bus (non-air-conditioned); mini bus; Dyna/Canter; Hilux; and other. Dyna/Canter and Hilux are the trucks which are redesigned into the passenger-use by adding the roofs and seats on the body. They are widely called the “truck bus” by local people in Yangon. The majority of buses in operation are the truck buses. The vehicles controlled by the BCCs are mainly the small-scale bus vehicles, including the Mini bus, Dyna/Canter, and Hilux.

2.2. Buses in Yangon

If you ever travelled to Yangon for the first time, you will be amazed by the public buses running the streets of Rangoon. Not only are they old and worn out, they are also overcrowded. And some of them date back to the pre-world war 2 eras. Many wooden buses from the colonial period still run the streets of Rangoon. They are old, dirty, crowded and break down easily and frequently. The roof is also quite low so tall passengers have to bend their neck and back when standing. Yangon

public buses are also overcrowded most of the time. Passengers were packed into buses like herds of animals. But people are quite used to this and do not complain much.

Rangoon bus drivers and conductors are quite notorious for their rude behaviour, carelessness and recklessness. More often than not, they shouted at the passengers push them roughly in and out of the bus, and break traffic laws easily. Although the punishment to this offense is a hefty fine and, for habitual offenders, a suspension of the driving/conductor license, most passengers accept this as a norm and don’t bother to complain.

2.3. Road Transport in Myanmar (Burma) – Highway

Like most other countries in the world, road transportation is the most important communication in Myanmar. Most towns and cities are accessible only by land route. Only a few towns and cities are connected by railway lines. Even if they are connected by rail link, the condition of train services in Myanmar make it too difficult for most ordinary people to use railway as the major means of travel in Myanmar. Some towns are also reachable by rivers but river travel is very slow compared to roadtransportation, so it is not always practical. Thus,

most people have to rely on roadtransportation to travel in Myanmar.

Talking about roads in Myanmar (Burma) to outsiders is not always an easy task. Most foreigners live in rich countries where roads are in very good condition, and all the towns and villages are connected by full weathered roads in very good condition. Travelling a few hundreds kilometres takes only few hours of comfortable journey for those foreigners. Restaurants, food, toilets, convenient store are easily found on the way. Explaining something that does not exist in their country to the foreigners is a difficult task, until the time they actually come and visit Myanmar.

Major Highways

There are three main highways or corridors running north-south in Myanmar. In terms of importance and traffic they are:

 Yangon – Mandalay (Rangoon – Mandalay) Highway. The road passes through major cities in the central Burma such as Bago (Pegu), Taungoo, Pyinmana, new capital Naypyidaw and Meikhtila (Meiktila). This road is 695 km long.  Yangon – Pyay (Rangoon – Prome) Road. This road was built by the aid of the

Japanese Government, and considered the best highway in Myanmar. It runs west of the Pegu Range (Bago Yoma) and has a length of 288 km.

 Western Union Highway. This is part of a proposed Pathein – Monywa Highway, which connects towns and cities on the west of Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwaddy). The road is still under construction and in most part, the condition and the quality of the road is very bad. A number of important roads extend from these three main corridors. Some of these roads are very important for the economy of the country that they worth mentioning here.

 Mandalay – Lashio Road. This road starts from Mandalay and ends in Lashio, from which another road extends up to Muse, which is the border town with China. This road is the most important road in China-Burma border trade route. From Mandalay to Lashio, it is 262 km in length.

 Meikhtila – Taunggyi Road. This is an extention from Yangon – Mandalay Road. From Meikhtila (Meiktila), which is on the way from Yangon to Mandalay, the road extends to Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State. From Meikhtila (Meiktila) to Taunggyi, it is 205 km in length.

 Pyay – Magway Road (Prome – Magwe Road). This is actually a continuation of Yangon – Pyay Highway. It is running along the east bank of Irrawaddy and has a length of 202 km. From Magwe, the road continues to Bagan, passing through Yenanchaung, which is the major oil drilling town in central Burma. Another road connects Bagan (from Kyaukpandaung) and Meikhtila (Meikhtila), thus connecting the east and west corridors.

Reality

Highways in Myanmar can be classified into acceptable, poor, very poor and extremely poor based on the condition of the road. The only highway in Myanmar with acceptability quality is Yangon-Pyay (Rangoon – Prome) Highway. Built by the aid of the Japanese government, this road is considered the best in Myanmar. The road is smooth and even with very few bumps and holes. However, the road is quite small, only two lanes with the second lane added just a few years ago. Recently, due to poor maintenance, this road is starting to show some wear and tear, although it is still in good shape.

The second major highway in Myanmar and the most important one is Yangon – Mandalay Highway. Until a few years ago, this road was between poor and very poor conditions depending on the stretch of the road. However, with the improvement added in recent years, the condition of the road has improved to acceptable to poor conditions. The road is two lanes in most places, with four lanes in some areas near Yangon and Mandalay.

The third major highway, the so called Western Union Highway, is the worst highway in Myanmar. Built on the western bank of Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwaddy) River, its quality is between very poor to extremely poor. In many places, it is either a stoned road to dirt road. There are many stretches of the road where it is very difficult for cars and passenger buses to drive. Most of the time, this road is not normally used by the travellers, except for those who travel short distances between towns on the western bank of Irrawaddy.

Road from Mandalay to Lashio, and to Muse is acceptable in quality. Built by British and American as part of Burma Road, this road was extensively renovated in last ten years to handle the heavy traffic of Myanmar-China border trading. This road now serves as one of the most important trade rout in Myanmar.

Apart from these major highways, most of the other highways in Myanmar are in either very poor to extremely poor condition, with an exception of a few roads

which are of poor quality. Most roads are full of bumps and holes, even before the official opening of the road. Some roads turned into dirt roads within a few years or, in some cases, a few months of construction. Most roads have no or very few maintenance and suffer extensive degradation under poor construction, poor maintenance and poor weather. This makes most roads in Myanmar unsuitable for small cars.

2.4. Myanmar (Burma) Highway Express Buses

Like most countries in the world, highway buses form the most important part of public transportation in Myanmar. Most towns and cities in Myanmar can only be reached by land road. Even to major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, buses are the cheapest and easiest mode of travel for most people in Myanmar. Air fare is quite expensive in Myanmar and most people in Myanmar cannot afford to pay for the air ticket price. Sale of train tickets are tightly controlled and difficult to get for ordinary people. Moreover, conditions of many train carriages make it very uncomfortable for most travellers.

Although highway buses are the most convenient way to travel to most towns in Myanmar, it is not always a comfortable experience. Most highway buses are old, dirty and quite crowded. Most buses don’t have air conditions, and even if they have one, they are usually switched off. Sometimes, they open only until they left the station and once they are outside the town, they switch off. Many a time, they open the air con only very low power, intentionally forcing the passengers to open the windows to let the cool air coming in. Only very few highway buses open the air-con to the full power through out the whole trip.

Another problem with highway buses in Myanmar is, they put the passengers in the axle seats. This makes the bus very crowded and difficult for the passengers to go out of the bus.

There are two types of highway buses in Myanmar – expressed and non-expressed. Express buses are usually newer, cleaner and with air-cons. They are also faster, and less likely to break down on the way. They are also more likely to respect the bus timetable. However, most express buses still sell axle seats, and many switch off the air-con on the way. The reason for switching the air-con is to save fuel and hence making more profit for the bus owners. However, there are still a few express buses that run excellent service.

There are also many old and dirty express buses without air-con. Many express buses also break down on the way quite often. Worse, many highway buses, except express buses, will carry cargo at the back, as well as under the passenger seats. Passengers have to sit on the boxes and sacs in very uncomfortable position. For a foreign, it is better to avoid non-express buses at all. Other highway buses which run only a short distance usually do not have fixed time table. Even if they have one, they will not respect the time table, and will leave the station any time they want, stop very frequently on the way, and will arrive at the destination at their liking. They are also very crowded with passengers and cargo. They are more

likely to breakdown on the way also. Heat, smell, sweat, dust, and noise are unbearable. If the bus is full, they will put the passengers on the roof. If you are an adventurous person, you can venture to ride a bus like this on the roof as a new experience.

Travelling in Myanmar by bus is sometimes dangerous, usually slow and time consuming, often crowded, and rarely comfortable. However, if you are a truly adventurous kind of person, the bus ride in Myanmar is for you.

2.5. Problems in Myanmar (Burma) Transportation System

The problems in Yangon City (Myanmar) can be summarized as below: 1. Poor condition of bus vehicles

2. Inadequate bus network

3. Insufficient control of bus operation

4. Unsatisfactory provision of service information 5. Deficiencies in bus regulation system

6. Poor perception of safety ad 1. Poor Condition of Bus Vehicles

There are many technical problems because of the difficulties faced in introducing new vehicles, engine trouble, failures in machinery, damage of vehicle parts, and poor maintenance of bus vehicles. The bus vehicles used for urban services are old and they have been used for many years. Some buses are over 60 years old and the entrance doors of many bus vehicles are broken or missing. Passengers may face the risk of falling of a moving bus because of this hazard. The service quality of bus vehicles is also poor. Only a few buses are air-conditioned. Many buses do not have any windows or doors. The space inside the congested vehicle is intolerably humid and hot, particularly in the summer or rainy season. The number of seats in the bus vehicle is limited. Therefore, many passengers are forced to remain standing for several minutes during the bus ride.

ad 2. Inadequate Bus Network

The point to point bus network in Yangon leads to overlapping of many bus routes along the major roads connecting suburban areas with the central business district. Numerous buses for various routes plying on the same main roads particularly cause an increase in the traffic during peak hours, which result in serious traffic congestion. Furthermore, their point-to-point network leads to exercise competition service monitoring of one route is quite independent from that of another route. Therefore, the bus drivers running on one route often race with other bus drivers running on other routes so as to reach the next stop earlier than the competitors. Such driving may be hazardous for passengers and pedestrians.

ad 3. Insufficient Control of Bus Operation

Bus operations are not appropriately controlled in Yangon. In practice, only the buses’ cycle times are monitored by the BCCs at the control gates. This poor control of bus operations affects the driver’s behaviour in the following two ways.

First as stated earlier, bus driver rush to the next bus stop to tackle tough competition from bus drivers of different routes. However, they are controlled so as to maintain the overall cycle time. Thus, the bus drivers may wait at the bus stops only to waste time to adjust their cycle timing. Second, bus drivers are motivated to maximize their passenger numbers by waiting at the stops as long as possible. This is because their revenue depends on the number of passengers. This lead to high-speed driving to reach the next bus stop as soon as possible to maximize the waiting time at the stops. The consequence of these two motivations are that the buses are driven at dangerous speed between bus stops, where they half for the longest possible time. The result is a very poor quality of bus services. Additionally, the prolonged waits at bus stops/terminals make the situation there even more chaotic, particularly during peak periods. Although traffic controllers or policemen often direct buses at bus stops and terminals, they are not very effective in this regard. The extended parking of many buses at bus stops and terminals causes bottlenecks in the road network. Further, excessive competition at busy bus stops and terminals has hazardous consequences for passengers.

ad 4. Unsatisfactory Provision of Service Information

Very little information regarding the bus services is provided to bus passengers. The lack of providing appropriate information to the public deteriorates the quality of bus services not only for the local travellers, but also for the visitors. For example, a timetable of the bus services is not provided.

Although the general information about the service frequency is widely known by the local people, it is not presented explicitly anywhere. Thus, the bus passengers are often forced to wait for the next bus at the stop for a long time. As there is no information about the schedule of the day’s first and last bus service, the passengers are not guaranteed about any service. Therefore, the bus passengers cannot ascertain whether the last bus for the day has departed in the late evening. Moreover, the route map is presented only at a few bus stops. Thus, it may be impossible for visitors to know whether they can reach a specific destination by boarding the bus. As the bus number is written only in Myanmar language, it is almost impossible for the people who have no experience at using the bus to identify the destination. Since no information about the bus stop is displayed, the visitors have no means for knowing the name of the bus stop. Additionally, no information about the fare table is presented at the bus stops. Visitors can ask the conductors about the price only after boarding the bus.

ad 5. Deficiencies in bus regulation system

The following deficiencies are found in the current bus regulation system in Yangon. Firstly, the import of buses is poorly regulated by the Government. In fact, the company that imports buses holds a monopoly. Secondly, the bus organizations are not well regulated. The vast majority of bus services are operated by a number of small-scale individual bus owners. Thirdly, the process for obtaining permission to operate bus routes is not appropriately regulated. As the

bus routes are not coordinated as a part of a total bus network, many bus routes overlap on the same roads. This causes excessive competition among bus drivers. ad 6. Poor perception of safety

Safety is not regarded as a critical service factor by same bus operators. This is firstly because the aggressive competition among operators on main roads negatively affects their perceptions of safety. The second reason is that the drivers are poorly educated about safety. The third reason is that the buses are in a poor condition. The fourth is that the bus stops and terminals are not controlled approximately enough to improve safety.

3. CONCLUSIONS

This paper reviewed the transportation problems in Myanmar. The topics for how to solve this problem are as follows. There are many transportation problems in Myanmar.

Among them, the most important problem is lack of financial support system. There might be various ways to solve the problems. First, if the city’s municipal transportation agency takes full control and responsibility, the problems can be solved. By taking the full ownership of transportation system, the city can avoid overlapping routes and reduce the traffic. The city can also limit the age of the bus vehicles running on the streets. It will definitely improve the condition of bus vehicles. Although old buses are useful and still using in Yangon, these old buses consume more gasoline than newer buses. The old buses emit more carbon monoxide than the newer buses and pollute the air quality. Since the city municipal is the sole control of transportation, it can efficiently coordinate the passengers’ needs and smooth bus operation. If the transportation system is controlled by individuals and groups, there will definitely be competition to make more money. Instead of providing better bus operations for people, the buses will be used as money making machines and will become race cars. It will definitely jeopardize the people’s safety. By taking the control, the city will obviously eliminate competition between bus owners and bus drivers. So, the safety will improve for passengers.

Currently, there is no information provided for bus routes at all bus stops in Yangon. This can be solved by providing all routes information at all bus stops by city. As a city municipal, it can provide maps and routes information at all bus stops. This will solve unsatisfactory provision of service information. The main benefit of the city handling the transportation is it has better financial support from government than individuals and groups. The city can also expand bus network by removing overlapped routes and adding new routes to the various city’s locations. Since the city’s municipal agency is in control, it can also schedule the routes more effectively and put the necessary bus schedule for each route. It can also put more vehicles as necessary during office hours. The city municipal can implement the monthly pass program to reduce cash handling on the buses and prevent the

problems during commute. The city can request comments for operations and on bus services to better regulate the system.

REFERENCES

1. Kato, H., Saito, N., Inagi, A., and Myint U. A. (2010): Regulatory framework and operational system of urban bus transportation in Yangon, Myanmar. Transportation Research Board 2010 Annual Meeting, January 2010. 2. Kato, H. (2009): Improvement of Urban Bus Transport System in Yangon, Myanmar. Final Report, ASEAN-Japan Transport Partnership Project, pp.1– 150, Japan Transport Cooperation Association, Prepared for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan.

3. Country Paper Myanmar, (Pub-2072-app4from website. PDF) 4. Country brief Myanmar February 19, 2010.

5. http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/myanmar/pro-transportation.htm 6. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Myanmar-TRANSPORTATION.html 7. http://www.myanmartravel.net/railwaymap.htm 8. http://travel.mapsofworld.com/myanmar/yangon-travel/transportation-in-yangon.html 9. http://www.myanmar2day.com/myanmar-life/2008/12/buses-in-yangon-rangoon/

Prof. dr hab. inż. Janusz Szpytko (Full Prof., D.Sc., Ph.D.,

M.Sc., B.Sc. C.Eng.), AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robo-tics. Specialist in designing and exploitation of transport systems and devices, automatics, safety and reliability, monitoring and diagnostics, decision making systems, telematics. Author or co-author of more then 350 publications, both in Polish and English. Member of: STST KT PAN, TC IFAC, SEFI, ISPE, PTD, PTB, PSRA, ISA, SITPH and others. Visiting professor at the universities in: UK, France, Canada, Italy, Greece, Canada, Laos. Coordinator and member of several R&D projects both national and international. Organizer and member of several scientific and programme committees of international and national conferences and symposiums.

Ms Khin Khin Tun, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Ph.D.,

M.Sc., B.Sc. in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Associate Professor in Technological University Kyaukse, Ministry of Science and Technology. Main interest: transportation, materials science and metallurgical engineering