Overcharging goes unchecked before Eid

Officials conspicuous by their absence at bus stands to address complaints of passengers

ISLAMABAD: Each year as thousands head to their hometowns to celebrate Eidul Fitr, transporters get an opportunity to rip off passengers by charging exorbitant fares.

The impunity by which transporters exploit the commuters is in direct proportion to the official assurances that overcharging and overloading would not be allowed.

This year too, as thousands thronged bus stations on Friday to head back to their hometowns for Eidul Fitr, transporters were ready to exploit them with absolutely no check by the authorities.

The Express Tribune visited a major inter-city bus stand and found that no official from the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) or the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) was present to address public complaints.

While there the main rush of passengers had not gathered at most bus stands on Friday afternoon, perhaps because there were still two more days to go before Eid, complaints of overcharging by some passengers were no less loud.

Muhammad Aqeel, a passenger at the Faizabad bus terminus said that transporters were charging the commuters at will. “We have no option but to pay whatever amount the transporters demand. If you argue, they humiliate you and refuse to let you on the bus,” he said. However, transporters dismissed the accusations of profiteering even as they admitted to charging higher than usual fares.



Bus driver Sheraz Ahmed said that they are not earning any extra profit from the high fares nor were they exploiting commuters on Eid.

“Eid does not only come for the commuters, we also have to celebrate it, buy new clothes and shoes for our families and sometimes also pay extortion money to traffic officials who demand it in the name of ‘Eidi’ from drivers,” he said.

Though the ITP said it had launched a drive against transporters over-charging the public, the passengers were mostly left at the transporters’ mercy since there no officials were present on the ground.

Another major issue in regulating fares is that there is no publicly-available official list of fares for various destinations, as a result of which private contractors and transporters set the rates themselves.

Another passenger said authorities have, as always, fallen short of their promises to keep a check on transport fares and other issues. “This is a country for the rich only,” he said as he went ahead to find a seat on another bus.

Relatively well-established transporters, however, said their fares were unchanged.

“We are charging the same fares as were doing before Ramazan,” said a ticket-booking official at the bus stand. He, however, said that seats on most of their buses had already been sold out.

The three major bus terminals of twin cities including Faizabad, Pirwadhai and Karachi Company are frequented by commuters who are leaving town to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.

But, their zeal to reach home is dampened by the unavailability of vehicles. People wait for hours to board busses on the first-come-first-serve basis. Outnumbered, the vehicles leave the city, often overflowing with passengers, to their destinations.

Asad Abbas Shah, a transport manager at private bus terminus said that his company has put every available bus it has on the road to manage the Eid rush, however, it was not possible to accommodate everyone.

“People should leave early during Eid days to avoid the ticket problem,” he said.

Bus companies, to facilitate the passengers, have started offering advance bookings to the detriment of those who come late. There were no seats available a week before the Eid, a commuter complained.

“Travelling on these vans is among the worst experiences I have had, but I have no other option to reach home,” said Madni, a labourer.

Answering a question regarding issues faced by commuters Islamabad Transport Authority (ITA) Secretary Syed Jawad Muzaffar said he was paying regular visits to different bus stands and heavy fines were also imposed against violating security mechanism and unavailability of other safety measures for commuters.

With additional input by APP

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2017.