People await metro bus resumption in Rawalpindi

Trains, inter-city transport already operational

RAWALPINDI: Thousands of people, who used the metro bus daily to commute to their workplaces in the twin cities, are facing difficulties as the service has not been exempted from the lockdown.

Inter-city transport has been restored in Rawalpindi, but the administrations of both the federal capital Islamabad and the garrison city have yet to decide on when and how to resume the bus service, leaving over 100,000 commuters in a dilemma.

As many as 15,000 people use the service daily, Metro Bus Authority (MBA) officials said, adding that they were losing around Rs300,000 daily in ticket sales.

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The termination of the bus service between Islamabad and Rawalpindi has raised serious concerns amongst the people who are questioning the closure of the service at a time when even trains and intercity bus operations have resumed.

An MBA official, requesting anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the media but was well aware of the internal affairs, told The Express Tribune that the service had outsourced many of its departments, including ticketing service, cleanliness, security, drivers, and such.



However, it has been almost two months since the service has been forced to keep the buses parked. Despite that, the authority has had to pay employees contracted for different departments, he added.

When asked should the metro bus reopen under strict SOPs, the official expressed that no such idea has been discussed recently nor has any authority sought any such recommendations from MBA.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2020.