Declining fuel prices: No relief for Karachi in slashed transport fares

Govt reduces fares for taxis, rickshaws, inter-city buses, school transport and goods transport

KARACHI: The Sindh government slashed the fares of taxis, rickshaws and inter-city buses in the province on Sunday in the wake of reduced fuel prices but failed to provide relief to Karachi's commuters by excluding public transport in the metropolis from the decision.

According to the notification issued by the government, the fares of inter-city buses, coaches and vans have been reduced by five per cent, while those of taxis and rickshaws were cut by eight per cent. School transport fares also dropped, as did the rates for goods transportation, depending on the weight of goods carried and distance covered. However, these changes do not apply to public transport within Karachi.

Provincial transport minister Mumtaz Ali Jakhrani told The Express Tribune that the government had directed officials to take action against transporters violating the prescribed rates. "We will soon convene a meeting with Karachi's transporters to cut fares within the city," he added.

On the other hand, transporters' bodies in the metropolis announced that they would not reduce their fares even if ordered to do so by the provincial government. "Only 10 per cent of the city's buses are plying on diesel and the rest have been converted to CNG in accordance with the Supreme Court's orders," said Karachi Transport Ittehad general secretary Mehmood Afridi. "How can we reduce our fares?"

Afridi said that they will not decrease their rates unless CNG became cheaper, adding that most of Karachi's residents would derive no benefit from the declining fuel prices. "The government has made this announcement merely to save face," he claimed. "The notification will have no tangible results."

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2015.