Transport woes: Arid varsity students complain about overloaded buses

Say buses ferry people much beyond the capacity.

RAWALPINDI:

Overloaded buses have become a constant nuisance for the students of the Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

The university has five buses which ply four routes to ferry students to-and-from the university, but the students termed them insufficient when compared to the number of students.

“Each bus has the capacity to carry 52 students, but they always carry over 80,” complained Hafiz Abdullah, a student of the environmental sciences department.

“We remain uneasy while standing with male students in buses as the seats are occupied by those who get on at earlier stops,” said Nosheen Masood, a student of the sociology department.



She said that the students have to hang on the footboard. “Many students are forced to use the public transport and taxis.”

Transport in-charge Ayaz Akram said that the issue had been brought to the notice of the vice chancellor and it would be sorted out soon.

“Every year, the university pays Rs50,000 to Rs70,000 per student in transportation subsidies,” he said.

He said that 140 applications were still pending with the transport section and most of the students have offered six-month advance fees to reserve seats as it cost them much less than private transport.

He said that the vice chancellor has also written a letter to the provincial government to increase the number of buses at the university.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2013.