Eid travel becomes a luxury
PHOTO: FILE
Millions of people are set to travel outside Lahore during the coming Eid holidays.
The provincial capital has a population of over 13 million, including millions of students and workers from other areas and a substantial number who had settled in the city during the past couple of decades.
Most of them prefer to celebrate the Eid in their native towns.
According to a resident, the fact becomes obvious during Eid holidays in the form of deserted city roads.
However, the occasion leads to an unusual rush for private transport and the transporters exploit the situation by overloading as well as overcharging.
An unprecedented level of inflation and the recent hike by the government of Rs10 per litre in petroleum prices has provided the transporters an additional excuse to hike the fares.
Passengers complained while speaking to The Express Tribune that transporters put portable seats in the buses and also charged additional fare for luggage.
A factory worker from Gajjumatta, Adil Jahanzeb, lamented that he had not received his fully salary ahead of the Eid. The owners paid him a fraction of the salary in the name of Eidi and expenses, citing the dire economic situation and the festival falling at the mid of the month.
He said his family was expecting gifts, sweats and clothes but he could hardly manage to give some money to his parents after spending over Rs5,000 on the fare.
He said the fares had been raised to a record level
Ashfaq Ahmad, a resident of a small town in Vehari, works in a factory in the Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Area.
He said he and a few of his colleagues had preferred to stay at their workplace during the holidays because of the high fare.
On the other hand, the city traffic police announced a crackdown against overloading and overcharging.
Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Mustansir Feroz said fine for overcharging had been imposed on 22 buses on Wednesday.
He added that the traffic police had deployed teams at Lorry Ada, Babu Sabu, Niazi Chowk, Thokar Niaz Beg, Shahdara Chowk and Begum Kot, the main transport hubs, to check violation of laws.
He said traffic police officers were urging transporters to refrain from exploitation, overcharging and overloading.The drivers and owners have been asked to display the fare lists.
The official warned that vehicles involved in overcharging and overloading would be impounded.
Amid crowds of people traveling to their native areas, with long queues of buses are seen at various terminals.
To cater to the demand, passengers also use flights, trains, private rides and coaches.
The city has more than 15 private bus stations from where hundreds of vehicles depart daily for different cities across the country.
However, the passengers are suffering the brunt of fuel price hike.
“I earlier used to go to my native area every month, but now the fares are so much that I go after three months,” said Irfan Ali, who was traveling to Multan.
Another passenger, Akmal Khan, “I go to my native Peshawar only on Eid other important festivals but now I am worried about the fare, which has doubled since last Eid.”
Transporters, on the other hand, argue that the rise in fares is justified by inflation, increasing wages and a hike in petroleum product prices.
A bus owner, Muhammad Owais, said the increase in fares had led to a decrease in the number of passengers and a number of transporters are leaving the business to pursue other options.
On the government part, Lahore Regional Transport Authority Secretary Khalid Mahmood Sindhu said, “We have formed special squads for checking buses.
Four assistant commissioners are also working in the provincial capital to monitor the public transport.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2023.