Inter-city travel: Transporters warn of suspending operations from tomorrow

Government asked to ensure standard fares across the province.

LAHORE: Inter-city transporters across the province have threatened to suspend operations from February 12 to protest what they say is lack of consistency amongst various district governments in determination of fares.

They have demanded that the provincial government sit down with the transporters’ representatives and standardise fares for various inter-city routes. They have also asked that buses confiscated and drivers and conductors arrested for overcharging across the province be released else they would suspend operations from February 12 (tomorrow).

The transporters also complained about repeat collection of a tax on the use of station premises and demanded that the tax be collected from a bus once at the start of a trip.

They said that instead of collecting the tax at the bus stations, the district administrations had currently set up collection booths on the highways. A bus was asked to pay the tax multiple times on its way from one city to another, he added.

A meeting between the Transport Department and representatives of the transporters to discuss latter’s concerns was underway when this report was filed.

All Pakistan Transport Owners Federation Chairman Azam Khan Niazi told The Express Tribune that currently the district administrations were setting fares without any coordination. He said this was causing confusion for transporters in determining the correct amount they should charge the passengers.

He said the confusion in determination of the correct fare had led to the confiscation of 680 buses and arrests of 94 people for overcharging.

The transporters also complained about intervention by the district administrations in setting of fares for air-conditioned bus service which they claimed had already been de-regulated.

Punjab Bus Owners’ Association president Haji Muhammad Khalid said it had earlier been decided to de-regulate fares for AC-bus service on inter-city routes. He said that the district administrators’ current action against the transporters for overcharging was illegal. However, he added, they were still ready to discuss a possible fare reduction if the provincial government agreed to discuss the issue with them.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.