University term doubles demand on Jordan’s inter-governorate bus services

Passenger numbers on Jordan’s regular inter-governorate public transport services rose as universities resumed classes. Figures from the Land Transport Regulatory Commission, reported by the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on 25 October, show the total increasing from 99,414 to 202,133 in the two compared periods. The commission reported the rise as 103%.

The comparison covers the second and third weeks of September, during the university break, and the same weeks in October, when universities were in session. Petra said actual operating days were taken into account in the two periods. The figures describe a rise associated with the academic term; they do not provide an annual growth rate or a full-year passenger total.

Average daily passenger numbers rose from about 9,900 to more than 20,200. The busiest date in the October comparison period was 18 October, when 27,292 passenger trips were recorded. The commission’s indicators show both the change between the matched periods and how travel was distributed across days within the later period.

As demand rose, trips on the project’s 12 routes increased from 7,840 to 10,787, a reported rise of 38%. Total distance travelled grew by 34% in the same comparison, while the average number of passengers per trip rose from about 13 to 19. The operating figures therefore include both more trips and higher average occupancy per trip.

One of the largest route changes was on Mafraq–Zarqa: passenger numbers climbed from 4,503 to 46,042 and trips from 389 to 1,193. Petra linked this increase to the route serving Al al-Bayt University students. On the Amman–Salt route, passenger numbers rose 73%, from 24,020 to 41,569, after student service for Balqa Applied University resumed.

Other routes also recorded gains: Jerash–Irbid rose 423%, Jerash–Mafraq 333%, Tafilah 168% and Ma’an 102%. The commission said monitoring systems, electronic payment and bus-tracking equipment help it produce passenger and trip statistics. The data measure a two-week comparison during the university term; on their own, they do not establish changes in capacity, revenue or long-term service quality.

The route-level figures reported by the commission show that the increase was not evenly distributed. Passengers on the Jerash–Irbid route rose 423%, from 2,239 to 11,710, while the Jerash–Mafraq route increased 333%, from 1,845 to 7,987. On Jerash–Amman, passenger numbers rose 72.5%, from 9,308 to 16,057. Irbid–Zarqa in the north increased 58.5%, while the Tafilah route in the south rose 168%. These figures refer to the same matched September and October weeks used in the overall comparison.