Pakistan: People in Karachi pay increased fare as transport owners defy govt orders
Islamabad, April 9 (IANS) People in Pakistan’s Karachi continue to pay increased fares while using public transport as bus owners have been ignoring a Sindh government order to freeze fares in return for a fuel subsidy, local media reported on Thursday.
Transporters, including operators of buses, minibuses, Qingqi rickshaws, school vans and goods carriers, continue to ask for higher fares. After the government issued subsidy orders, many people in Karachi were expecting that transport owners would roll-back fares to pre-conflict levels, especially after transport bodies reportedly agreed to revert rates, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported. However, the government’s plan to protect people from increased transportation fare triggered by fuel price fluctuations is yet to provide tangible relief.
Speaking to Dawn, a passenger who chose not to take a bus after being told that the minimum fare was Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 50, said such experiences had become routine after increase in petroleum prices.
He said, “I used to pay PKR 20, sometimes PKR 30, for a short distance. Now they are demanding double. Is this justified? Have fuel prices doubled? Absolutely not. Then why are fares being doubled?”
Another passenger said he was asked to pay either increased fare or get off the vehicle when he told a conductor about the government’s order. He questioned the government over non-implementation of their fare freeze order and asked what action would be taken against transporters violating directives issued by the authorities.
Shahbaz, a college student, said the rise in prices had significantly impacted his finances. He said, “I work part-time to support my education, but the additional Rs60 in daily commuting costs has become a burden,” adding that he now walks at least two kilometres each way to manage expenses, Dawn reported.
Parents of schoolchildren have also mentioned about the hike in van fees, with some reporting an increase of PKR 1,000 to 2,000 per month. A parent said, “For families with two or three school-going children, this increase is not manageable. Transport alone is now taking up a significant portion of our monthly budget.”
Meanwhile, residents in Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were facing difficulties due to acute shortage of natural gas as CNG stations remained shut across the province on April 5.
Majority of school van and bus operators had suspended their services due to unavailability of CNG while public transporters have increased fares after they started using petrol, placing further financial burden on residents, Pakistan’s another leading daily The Express Tribune reported.
CNG filling stations remained closed for the second consecutive day in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 5. Several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced unannounced loadshedding of natural gas, further increasing the problems for domestic and commercial consumers.
The closure of CNG stations had forced many vehicles to either stop operations or run at higher price of petrol, causing further hike in transport fares. School transporters are among the worst impacted as they have said that running vehicles on petrol is beyond their capacity, leaving them with no option except to disrupt their services, The Express Tribune reported. Parents had voiced concern over the suspension of school transportation, fearing it would impact education and daily routine of children.
–IANS
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