A few days ago, I wrote my pessimistic article, “Manage your situation… Forgive us, the bus seems to have left at the right time!” In it, I was expressing the Jordanian citizen’s pain over the chaos of public transportation, and people’s daily suffering with the absence of an organized bus, a specific time, and a known route.

But what I saw today in Aqaba warmed my heart, and gave me hope that change is possible when there is will, vision, and management.

The Executive Director of the Aqaba Transport and Logistics Company, His Excellency Mr. Khaled Morsi, contacted me and invited me to a field visit to learn about their distinguished experience in achieving a modern mass transportation system in the city of Aqaba… The invitation was sincere, and the results are impressive.

From scratch… to a system comparable to European cities:

The company, wholly owned by the Aqaba Special Economic Commission, began its journey about a decade and a half ago from scratch, developing an ambitious strategic plan to develop transportation in the city.

Today, their modern buses run at regular, punctual frequencies, departing from known stations and stopping at specific points, just as they do in developed cities.

Bus drivers undergo specialized courses in communication skills, discipline, and public safety, and wear a stylish uniform that reflects a professional identity and respect for the rider and the city.

The coverage is comprehensive: it extends from residential neighborhoods to industrial areas, and from ports to universities, colleges and tourist sites, so that mass transportation in Aqaba has become a reliable and comfortable means for all segments of society.

A smart control room worthy of the digital age:
In the operating room, I saw an integrated digital system equipped with large screens, showing a map of Aqaba via satellite, on which buses move in real time.

One click on any bus, all the information appears:
Number of passengers, driver’s name, departure and arrival time, route, and technical condition of the vehicle.

The system relies on GPS and GIS technologies, and is linked to a central server that allows performance to be monitored accurately, moment by moment.
The buses are equipped with several surveillance cameras, to which artificial intelligence will soon be added to analyze the behavior of drivers and passengers and enhance public safety standards.

The speed is automatically adjusted, and maintenance is carried out periodically, according to a precise checklist that includes cleanliness, readiness, and safety.

High-end electronic services at affordable prices:
The financial and operational system adopts electronic payment using smart cards and mobile phone applications, at nominal prices suitable for students, citizens and tourists.

Through the application, the passenger can know the bus’s arrival time, the number of passengers inside it, its route in detail, and even pay electronically without cash.

Scientific and community management:
The most beautiful thing is that the company does not just operate, but rather evaluates its performance through measurable indicators, and constantly updates its services based on feedback from students, student councils, and neighborhood committees.

Field reports have proven that there is a noticeable monthly increase in the number of passengers, which reflects an increase in confidence and a sense of respect, dignity and discipline among bus users.

Deep environmental and social impact:
It is clear that the success of the transportation system in Aqaba is not limited to comfort and organization, but extends to the environment and society.

Every bus carrying fifty passengers replaces fifty private cars, which means:

Reduced crowding within the city,

greenhouse gas emissions decline,

Reducing pollution, noise and accidents,

Raising the level of community satisfaction and social peace.

With these practical steps, Aqaba effectively contributes to reducing the causes of climate change, and presents a unique Jordanian model of sustainable transportation that combines efficiency, dignity, and a clean environment.

Support leadership and royal vision:
What the Aqaba Transport and Logistics Company is doing is in complete harmony with the recent directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II to the government in the Royal Throne Speech, in which he stressed the necessity of creating a transportation system that is worthy of the citizen and the state and keeps pace with the aspirations of modernization and reform.

Role model:
This experience, which succeeded thanks to the company’s staff, the support of the Aqaba Commission, and the cooperation of institutions and the local community, is not only a local success story, but the beginning of a national transformation that deserves to be spread to all governorates of the Kingdom.

What was achieved in Aqaba can be achieved in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Karak, Ma’an, the desert, and every village and camp, when efforts are united and the vision is built on sound scientific and administrative foundations.

I wrote dozens of articles in which I called for improving the reality of the public transportation system in Jordan, but I saw the dream as far away…
But today, as I see the light shining from Aqaba, I say with confidence:

Here is the dream that begins from the south, from the city of the sea and mountains, from the city of will that does not know the impossible.

Good news for His Majesty the King and his loyal people… Aqaba is driving change, and gives us hope that mass transportation in Jordan is truly starting to improve.