Working people struggle to afford public transport

In a sprawling urban metropolis like Karachi, which to this day lacks a well-established mass transit system, private buses, rickshaws and ride-hailing services account for the most accessible form of public transport. However, the latest surge in petroleum prices, which is reflected in transport fares, has made the commute to work an expensive affair for the city’s millions of salaried and working class people.

Per rough estimates, transporters in the provincial capital have bumped their price by at least rupees 20 to rupees 50, depending on the distance. Owing to which, an average person’s monthly transport bill has reportedly gone up from Rs1,800 to Rs3,000, a price too steep for many of the city’s residents.

According to Sharmeen, who is an unpaid intern at a local design firm, going to work everyday in a rickshaw takes her about 45 minutes and costs Rs1,000 a day for a two-way ride. “I can still afford this somehow, but I think of all the working class people who have to run their homes and raise their families. They can’t possibly pay such extortionate fares,” she lamented, adding that she herself has been thinking of switching to a motorcycle hailing service which would cost her relatively less than a rickshaw.

However, the city’s transporters say that they aren’t any better off either and the price hikes are barely helping them stay in business. “Petrol prices have shot to the sky in the last couple of months, so increasing fare was the only way we could make some money at the end of the day. Inflation has hit us too and we also have to provide for our family, which is getting more and more difficult every day. On top of that, there has been a drop in business too, if the government makes petroleum any more expensive some of us will just have to quit this work and look for something else instead of increasing our fares,” commented Qavi, a local rickshaw driver.

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Currently, minibuses make for the cheapest available form of public transport for millions of people in the provincial capital. However, their fare has also taken wings amid rising inflation, now costing twice as much as what it did only a few months ago.

For Ataullah, a wage labourer from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa who commutes from Liaquatabad No 10 to Tower every day for work, this has meant an additional Rs60 to his day’s transport fare. In a month, he has to pay an extra Rs1,800 for essential commute, out of his meagre earning of Rs20,000.

“Out of that, I also have to send money home to my family, pay for my rent here, buy food and pay bills. It’s getting impossible to mange all of it amid rising inflation,” he lamented. Arif Khan, who is minibus driver confirmed the bump in bus fare, which has been adjusted for inflation and rising petroleum prices. “There has been a minimum increase of Rs20 and a maximum increase of Rs40, depending on the distance of the stop. But it’s not like we had any other option,” he commented.

At the same time, various ride hailing services, which were keen on offering discounts and boasted affordable packages until sometime ago, have also been forced to limit operations, suspend discounts or bump up their prices beyond affordability of an average citizen.

Per Hasan, who is a meagrely-paid cub reporter, motorcycle hailing services have been his go-to option for daily commute. “They used to be substantially cheaper and my daily commute from Gulshan to I.I Chundrigar Road and back would cost me between Rs250-300 a day. Now it costs me around Rs550 to Rs600. About an year ago, I would sometimes also hail a cab from these services on days that were too hot to be riding in the sun, it would cost me about Rs350-400 one way. But now I cannot even imagine hailing a car as it costs upwards of Rs600-700 per ride and drivers still pester you for a higher fare,” he said.

Speaking in regard to exorbitant public transport fares, Karachi Transport Ittehad President Irshad Bukhari believes that the increase has been subject to inflation and petroleum prices. “Petrol and diesel used to go up by Rs10 to Rs15 in several months, so the fare would go up by rupees five. However, in the last few months, the price of diesel has gone up by Rs 120 per litre and transporters have been forced to raise Rs20-30, which is barely covering overheads. If the prices of petroleum products continue to rise in the same way, transporters will be forced to stop their vehicles because an increase of Rs50 to Rs100 cannot be made,” he said.

According to Sindh Chief Minister’s Advisor Waqar Mehdi however, the government has been making every effort to provide relief to the people during a global petroleum crisis. “The Department of Transportation is examining the issue of fares. Action will be taken against those who are collecting excessive fares.

The transport department will soon fix the fares in collaboration with the transporters. The service of People’s Bus Service will be expanded and its fare will be kept to a minimum so that the people can get some relief,” he told The Express Tribune.