Transporters have increased fares by up to 100 percent, perturbing the passengers leaving for their hometowns to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones, an anecdotal survey conducted by Business Recorder revealed on Saturday.
Talking to Business Recorder, the spokesperson for National Highway and Motorway Police confirmed overcharging and overloading by transporters on GT Road as well as on motorways. The police fined drivers (Rs 750-1500) for overloading and overcharging, said the official, adding that police also recovered money from drivers and returned it to passengers.
The NH&MP spokesperson said that passengers should cooperate with Motorway Police and inform on helpline 130 if any transporter charges extra fare or misbehaves with them. As the Eid-ul-Azha is approaching, most of residents of twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi are leaving for their hometowns to celebrate the Eid with their families. A large number of passengers can be witnessed at Pir Wadhai General Bus Stand, G-9, Islamabad bus stand and Faizabad bus stand.
Taking full advantage of the situation, the inter-city transporters are fleecing passengers and they are charging even more than two times the normal fares as the passengers want to reach their hometowns before the Eid festivities. Transporters plying air-conditioned coaches on routes to Larkana, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and other upper Sindh destinations have increased fares by more than Rs 200-300 per seat. Transporters are charging Rs 400-500 per person for Mardan and Peshawar compared to the normal fares of Rs 280 and Rs 300 respectively. The fare for Lahore is also increased by around Rs 200 per seat by different bus/van owners at different bus stands.
As the number of public transport vehicles is less to accommodate the passengers, the local transporters are fleecing them by overcharging. This situation often results in exchange of hot words between transporters and commuters as latter are not ready to accept fare increase by the transporters at their own. The district administration has directed the transporters to charge fixed fares from passengers, otherwise their route permits would be cancelled and they would be fined. However, passengers at different bus stands maintained that authorities have yet again failed to take action against those transporters who overcharge as there is no mechanism to check fares. It is a well-known practice that transporters keep fares high during Eid days.
Criticising the government, commuters were of the opinion that neither the local administration nor the district government is showing any interest in punishing the transporters. Imad Khan, a passenger leaving for Mardan, said that the transporters do not park their vehicles on bus stands just to blackmail the passengers. "Some drivers are creating an artificial shortage of vehicles to charge exorbitant rates. The bus stand authorities inform that they are short of vehicles while on the other hand, the transporters park their vehicles away from passengers' sight, yet close to the bus stands; and are fleecing the commuters by overcharging. He said that transporters are charging Rs 400 for Mardan against the normal fare of Rs 280.
According to transporters, the government has increased the prices of petroleum products, and they are compelled to increase fares. The latest increase in oil prices has provided an opportunity to transporters to fleece the masses with impunity. The transporters have no official fare list in their vehicles. However, the passengers do not have any alternative and are compelled to accept the rates fixed by the transporters.
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