Following the hike in fuel prices by the federal government, local transporters in Rawalpindi have unilaterally increased the fare by up to Rs20 without the prior approval of the regional transport authority.
Transporters including mini-buses, wagons and Suzuki pick-ups have jacked up the fare from one stop to the other by up to Rs20 without waiting for the official nod. All transporters have increased stop-to-stop fares from Rs25 to Rs35.
On the other, the private ride Bikea has also increased the fare by up to Rs20 per ride. Taxi cabs and rickshaws have also jacked up the fare arbitrarily, charging Rs180 instead of Rs100 within city travel.
Intra-city transporters also resorted to hiking fares on longer routes unilaterally.
Transporters giving pick-and-drop for school and college students have also raised per head amount from Rs300 to Rs500
Transporters have also sought to raise fares from Rawalpindi to other cities and provinces including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and tehsils of the Rawalpindi division.
Sources said that the transport federation has submitted a requisition to the regional transport authority seeking an official node for the raise in fares up to 40 per cent., senior Transport Federation Vice-president Asif Khan claimed that the price of compressed natural gas, vehicle tyres, tubes and spare parts had all jumped by up to 800 per cent, putting the transportation sector on the verge of collapse. He said that the cost of vehicle oil, maintenance and transportation fee have all climbed. “We have increased all route fares which are non-reversible”.
Taxi Federation Tariq Khan President and Secretary Malik Mustafa said that taxi drivers hardly save between Rs1,000 and Rs1200 per day and they struggle to make ends meet including paying utility bills. They said that 90 per cent of rickshaws and taxis were on rent and they have to pay to owners at the end of the day.
Muhammad Farhad said that he works as a clerk at a government office but after 4 pm, he rides Bykea’sBykea motorcycle till 12 pm. He said that he earns Rs1,000 daily from the ride.
Regional transport authority sources confirmed that transporters have requested an increase in fares and the request had been forwarded to the provincial ministry of transport.
They said that a notification will be issued if the Punjab government gave the approval.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2023.
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