Technology and Transportation

By Khalid Khattak

Technology is undoubtedly changing lifestyles all over the world. This change is quite visible in the developed countries where people have been benefiting from technology making their lives much easier.  

On the other hand people in under-developed, or rather developing countries like Pakistan, have yet to reap the fruits of technology in its true spirit. This is partially because of governance issues and the indifferent attitude on the part of those at the helm but mostly because of illiteracy.

I landed in Washington, DC on March 19. And since this was my second trip to this country, I was confident in my ability to use the public transportation to navigate the city. The very next morning, I reached the Alfred Friendly Press Partners office by taking the city bus.

It was my first ever experience taking the bus in DC and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the ride because it was comfortable as well as time efficient something I miss back home. It was good to see how people with disabilities could access the metro independently, a distant dream in Pakistan, unfortunately.  

Another difference I noticed is that people don’t talk to one another on the bus in Washington. When taking a bus in Pakistan, people discuss many topics, politics being a favorite. You will find everyone discussing political developments, ever growing inflation and of course the poor law and order situation in Pakistan.

At the end of my first day in DC, on my way back to the apartment, I got lost after I got off the bus. Interestingly, no human but my iPhone (courtesy my host organization, The Wall Street Journal) helped me locate my lost apartment.