Commuters wait for public transport which remained off roads on the second day of the strike. PHOTO: INP
Cashing in on the transporters’ strike, taxi and Suzuki van drivers fleeced desperate commuters on Friday by charging exorbitant rates as public transport remained off the road.
The commuters of twin cities suffered as they had to wait for hours to get public transport to reach their destinations in the scorching heat.
“I’ve been standing here for the last two hours waiting for a van to reach Rawalpindi. The taxi drivers are demanding nothing less than Rs500,” said Haris, a resident of Dhok Kala Khan.
The taxi drivers were charging Rs100-150 per passenger from Rawalpindi Saddar to Aabpara, taking full advantage of the strike. Most of the commuters have no choice but to accept the demand of the drivers as they have to reach their destinations in time.
Owing to the strike, attendance at offices remained thin as not everyone could pay the heavy fares charged by taxi drivers. Most people preferred to reach their homes on foot as they cannot afford high fares.
“There is no check on taxi drivers. They charge on their own keeping in view the situation,” said Adil, an employee at Irrigation Department, who paid Rs450 to reach Islamabad, adding that if whether there is a strike, late at night or thunderstorms, they will charge extra as there is no check on them.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Transport Union President Malik Muhammad Sultan said their strike would go on unless the government comes up with a clear policy regarding installation of CNG kits at public vehicles.
He also demanded that treatment being meted out to them by the police should also be stopped.
He alleged that transport unions from all the provinces had held dozens of meetings with Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) regarding installations of CNG kits in public transport vehicles but every time Ogra violated the policy agreed upon in the meetings.
“We have agreed on a policy several times in this regard but once union representatives leave, they change the policy,” he said.
He urged the government to come up with a comprehensive policy and increase the number of workshops where transport owners are supposed to get fitness certificates from and also to reduce the cost of this process.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2013.
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