BRT suspension leaves commuters in a jam

CM’s aide says service to resume after clearance

PESHAWAR:

The suspension of the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) compounded the commuting problems for thousands in the provincial capital on Thursday, who had invested in the pre-paid Zu cards. As a result, a heavy rush was seen in public transport vehicles.

Transporters utilised the opportunity to nearly double fares arbitrarily.

Taxi drivers and operators of the traditional wagons and qingqis used the suspension of the BRT to hike fares by as much as 40 per cent. It was noted that the fare from Hashtnagri to Hayatabad, usually Rs60 before the BRT’s introduction, had shot up to Rs100 on Thursday, some customers told The Express Tribune.

Taxi drivers too had hiked their fares by as much as 40 per cent.

Arguments with wagon conductors were in vain as dozens queued to get a seat on the cramped vans owing to the closure of the new bus service.

Students, who tried to get to their respective institutions after they reopened earlier in the week, also faced difficulties due to suspension of the BRT service and had to pay hiked fares.

Service suspended to ensure public safety

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister on Information Kamran Bangash explained on Thursday that the flagship BRT service of his government had to be suspended for a critical inspection of its fleet to avoid human losses in the wake of multiple dangerous incidents.

He made these remarks while addressing the media in Peshawar on Thursday.

Bangash said that a team of engineers from the Chinese company, which had manufactured the hybrid buses used in the BRT service, have arrived in Peshawar and are expected to inspect the entire fleet.

The bus service will resume once the inspection is complete and the team gives it an all-clear, he said.

When asked when the service would resume, Bangash said that they could not give an exact date, but said that the service will reopen as soon as all the buses are given technical clearance by the manufacturers.

The special assistant said the government will continue to implement its development agenda despite criticism from opposition parties.

TransPeshawar, the government-owned company responsible for operating and maintaining the bus service, on Wednesday had said that the service had been suspended after a fire broke out in one of their buses for the fourth time since its launch on August 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2020.