OBSERVATIONS FROM A BUS JOURNEY

- We are all guilty, but what can the driver say on these roads? Do piglets swim in the waters of Buca? -

When I was little, my father used to say to me, "Son, hold on," "just be patient. Especially the ones on your feet are old, but after that, I will renew everything from top to bottom. Now, if I renew your top, your feet will be ugly. Besides, if we don't do that, you won't notice that you're wearing anything new!”

I really liked this idea. I don't know, what do you think?

Our Buca is in the same situation. I guess they say, "Everything is old, so let's rebuild after that." İzmir has three main well-known suburbs: Buca, Burnava, Karşıyaka. If we look at it from a neutral point of view, with its natural beauty, Buca is superior to all of them. But with the current situation, we can say without hesitation: "Buca is the worst of all." Because it is deprived of all aspects!
It seems to me that Buca is thought of as my father said to me: "Everything is old, it would be better if we made a new one!"

Let's get up from Konak with you and go to Buca by bus once and take a tour in Buca. Then we can see everything better. We can easily go as far as Basmahane. Because the roads are smooth and well-maintained. We depart from Basmahane. The road narrowed and started to deteriorate and become crowded as it narrowed. The roughness of the road shows itself completely after reaching Tepecik and deviating from the road to Buca. Now you think you are not on a bus, but on a ship caught in waves.

Poor drivers! While getting angry with them, sometimes it's hard not to feel sorry for them. While the oncads were turning the steering wheel non-stop in order not to shake the people on the bus due to the unevenness of the road, you saw that large and small children appeared in front of them. Now, involuntarily, the voice of those who say, "God damn it, I'm raising them!" rises. If the driver accidentally bumps into or crushes one of them, he grabs his collar: "Come and see!" we say. In my opinion, we should cling to the fathers and mothers of those children before that.

One of the complaints is: "What kind of bus are these! They should be sent to the flea market!” Let's talk right; For buses operating on such a broken road, would it be more correct to say "What kind of bus are they!" or "What kind of road is this!"?

I know very well, even all the people of Buca know; All of the buses in Buca had come out of the garage as brand new three months ago. No good is expected from a bus that comes and goes at least twenty-five, thirty times a day on a rough road!

Despite this, the buses operating to Buca are among the newest ones in Izmir. A bus, on the other hand, can operate for at least three or four years.

Despite the fact that there is no room on the bus many times, the ticket man says: "I have no room, sir! Sometimes we even scoff at him by running forward. Then, when someone else got on the bus in the same way, he immediately said: "Hey, people are hoarding fish on buses. What is this ingenuity?'' we rebel. Who is it that does the trick in the face of this situation? Of course, the ticket man does not forcefully grab us by the arm and pull us inside. If we don't get on, the matter will be settled, but we don't think about such a thing for that minute. It seems that in this aspect of the business, the fault lies neither with the ticket office, nor with the municipality, nor with the driver, but with us!

As you approach Buca, you see a municipal official on the side of the road. Its job is to penalize buses that take too many passengers. This officer waits here morning and evening. I ask: "This officer has been waiting here for months. What good did it do?'' Let's assume it has a benefit. No, is it possible to continue this work in winter days? In my opinion, keeping that officer waiting there is a waste of money, even though it is useless. Especially in the dust, in the soil by leaving it under the sun!

This can only be prevented if we, the passengers, do not get on the bus in excess. Besides, that officer has many essential duties that come before this, and it is not permissible to neglect it. For example; The roads are dirty and neglected. Dirty water is leaking from the houses. Grocery stores are not strictly controlled. Coffees are the same. Let's move on: the bread is spoiled. There are three municipal police officers in Koskoca Buca. If one of them waits for the buses, what can the others do?

There are even those who say that piglets swim in the spring (source) of Buca water. If we add that the shepherds wash their hands and faces from the pipes broken on the roads and that the people of Buca drink this water, I think we can better explain how painful the work is.

Fethi Y. Eralp

August 27, 1937, Anadolu