The Rawalpindi Transport Authority (RTA) initiated a crackdown against the illegal bus terminals in the Pirwadahi area of the city.
Under the supervision of Secretary RTA Khalid Yamin Satti, the operation took down six bus stands including several hoardings and ticket booths. The anti-encroachment department of the municipal administration and city traffic police also assisted in taking down these illegal stands. Secretary RTA also ensured that any encroachments would not be tolerated in the future as well.
It is pertinent to mention here that the authority has not been able to enforce the implementation of official fares of these public transport operating companies. The vehicles have been consistently overloaded and charging higher fares to the consumers. On several occasions, the transporters have increased their fares by a substantial margin, but there has been no check and balance on them. The continuous rise in the prices of petroleum products is being exploited by the transport companies in the shape of an extraordinary increase in the fares every now and then. The authorities have so far taken no action in this matter. Also, no fare list is provided by the transporters upon demand by the customers which also creates a sense of doubt in their mind. According to the transporters, the administration has allowed them to increase their fares once a hike in petroleum is observed.
The intercity fare of auto rickshaws and wagons has increased by up to Rs.2 whereas an increase of Rs.20 is observed on long routes. Several complaints regarding the extra-charging on heavy luggage have also been received. Another failure of the district administration includes the unavailability of a transport service from the city to the newly built Islamabad International Airport (IIA). RTA had previously announced to start the service within three months of the airport’s operations. But, unfortunately, a year has passed in the process. It has not only put the people in trouble but also allowed the transporters to loot the employees working at the airport on a daily basis. The private transporters are allowed to charge up to Rs.300 from the commuters travelling from the Rawalpindi city to Islamabad airport. However, the fare increases with the sunset and even go past Rs.1000 in the late hours of the night. The airport employees are so drastically affected by the process as they are currently spending almost a quarter of their salary on this travelling. The pick and drop service provided by the administration to the airport employees has also expired with the end of the contract. Currently, there is no substitute and transporters are fully exploiting it. It has been discovered that no transporters have even shown interest in signing a contract apart from one company which was rejected due to higher fares.
From the commuters’ perspective, the government should take immediate measures to put a full stop to this mafia and offer relief to the general public. Share your opinion with PakWheels and stay tuned for more updates.
