Cab, rickshaw fares go up by 50 per cent across Rawalpindi

RTA also mulls raising inter-city fares after fuel price hike

RAWALPINDI: Following the record increase in the prices of petroleum products, taxicab and rickshaw drivers in the garrison city have also hiked the fares by 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) is also mulling to increase fares for intercity and intra-city transport services.

Due to the decrease in petroleum prices, private passenger carriers including taxi, rickshaw, and others had cut down fares too. However, the fares have gone up once again after a rise of about 30 per cent in petrol prices.

The Rawalpindi Taxi Union General Secretary Mustafa Khan explained that taxi and rickshaw drivers would suffer huge losses if they follow the current fares after record increase in prices of petroleum products.

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He contended that the cab drivers had slashed fares arbitrarily after cut in fuel prices. However, he maintained that they were forced to increase fares after fuel prices going up.

The latest fares for riding a taxi for four kilometres (kms) has been increased to Rs400 from Rs300.

Similarly, for the same distance, rickshaw drivers are charging Rs150 instead of Rs100.

The loader truck drivers have also increased their rates by as much as Rs2, 500.

Further, RTA officials were of the view that they had decreased fares after fuel prices went down last month. The RTA and transporters union had jointly agreed to bring down fares.

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However, the officials said that it has now become difficult for transporters to run vehicles on the old fares.

They would abide by the Punjab government orders on fares, RTA officials noted.

For implementation on orders, the officials said that they would carry out surprise inspections to see if transporters were charging exorbitant fares from the passengers. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2020.