Bus service to IIA starts next week

The long-awaited bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad International Airport (IIA) will start from next week, officials said on Saturday.

Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has approved air-conditioned bus service on two routes frequently-used by the locals of Rawalpindi. The destination of the new service, to be inaugurated next week, would be Islamabad International Airport (IIA) and Taxila. The project would be inaugurated by the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anwarul Haq. All preparations in this regard have already been completed, the district officials told The Express Tribune.

RTA Secretary Mehar Ghulam Abbas has given the approval of the project on Saturday. The secretary has decided to launch the project to mitigate the troubles faced by the commuters on these routes who were being fleeced by private transporters due to the absence of a public transport service. Private transporters charge as much as Rs1,000 to Rs2,500 per passenger for a one-way commute between Rawalpindi city and IIA.

In the first, phase, the Diamond Transport Service would bring 10 buses on the road to carry passengers from Rawat to IIA. Meanwhile, a conglomerate of three transport groups will ply 15 buses to haul the passengers from Rawat to Taxila.

The authorities have suggested keeping fares for the service around Rs180 from Rawat to IIA and Rs130 from Rawat to Taxila. However, it would be finalised in a meeting between RTA and related transport company next week.

The district officials said that initiation of bus service on a new route from Adyala Road to IIA was also under consideration.

With residents of the twin cities facing difficulties in travelling to IIA amid frequent complaints that cab drivers fleece passengers, the Rawalpindi RTA had decided to open a new bus route from the city to the airport and back. It had invited applications from bus owners to seek permits to ply their vehicles between designated stops of Rawalpindi and the airport.

Under the plan, air-conditioned buses would solve problems faced by citizens and overseas Pakistanis who wish to commute to and from the airport, officials said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2020.