Fares for rail, road transport go up again

Third increase in a month as commuters bear brunt of fuel price hike

RAWALPINDI:

Commuters received another jolt on Thursday after transport fares increased for a second time in a week, with private transporters and railways increasing rates with metro buses likely to notify the increase next week.

Pakistan Railways has increased the rates of cargo goods including parcels and motorcycles, by five per cent.

The metro bus ticket from Islamabad to Rawalpindi route has been increased from Rs30 to Rs50 and the fare from N5 to New Islamabad Airport has been increased from Rs50 to Rs90.

The increase has been approved with the notification likely next week, after which the new fares will go into effect.

All public transport in and around the city has increased the stop-to-stop fare to Rs60.

Fares for other distances have also seen an increase. Fare from Raja Bazar to Soan Camp has gone up Rs100. The new fare from Rawalpindi to Islamabad would be Rs130 and the fare from Faizabad to the Secretariat has been increased to Rs100.

Minimum fares for travel between cities have also gone up by Rs200.

On August 15, the railways had increased fares by 10 per cent owing to the increase in fuel prices. On September 1, due to further increases in petroleum products, the fares were increased by five to eight percent.

Pakistan Railways has also banned passengers from keeping birds, chickens, and bags weighing more than 20 kg in the train following the increase which saw fuel prices cross the psychological barrier of Rs300 per litre.

These goods can now be carried by paying a separate fare in the cargo booking, the railways said.

The fare of Tezgam from Rawalpindi to Karachi in economy class will be Rs3,350. Along with berth, it would go up to Rs3450. For business class, the fare has been set at Rs7600 and AC Sleeper was now up to Rs11,000.

Similarly, the fares of all other trains have also increased. The cargo fares for railways have also increased to the point where they are almost as costly as road transport. The increase in petrol prices has also affected the motorcycle-hailing service. For Bykea rides, fares have almost doubled for the same distance, said users.

The transportation delivery charges of goods to the inner city shops, which include, grocery, plumbing, furniture, vegetables and fruits, have increased by 40 to 50 per cent.

The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has remained mum on the latest hike in transport fares.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2023.