Fares up 29% in Swat

A 29% increase in bus fare on the route between Mingora and Matta has made travel impossible for many commuters.

SWAT: A 29 per cent increase in bus fare on the 19-kilometre route between Mingora and Matta has made travel impossible for many commuters.

A few days ago, bus drivers added Rs10 to the fare, increasing it from Rs35 to Rs45. In the past one year the fare has increased more than 100 per cent, going from Rs20 to Rs45.

With the majority of the people in the area living in abject poverty, public anger prevailed at bus stands.Aslam, a labourer and a resident of Matta, was one of the people waiting at the bus stand. “I go to Mingora daily for work and earn Rs200. If out of that I pay Rs90 in fare, what will be left for my family of nine people?” he asked. “The fare increased without prior notice and without an increase in petrol price,”  Naeem Khan, a farmer by profession, complained. “The fare is increased every week. No vehicle has the public fare list issued by the traffic police,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2010.