Bad business: Transporters fined Rs10m for overcharging

Govt had constituted 228 monitoring teams in south Punjab districts

MULTAN:

Thousands across the province thronged bus stands and the highways in hopes of catching rides home and back in the days leading up to and days after Eidul Azha. In order to stop transporters from fleecing commuters, the government had notified a fares schedule and launched an operation on September 23 against transporters charging exorbitant fares.

The operation specifically targeted buses and coaches travelling between various districts in the province. In Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Sahiwal and Bahawalpur divisions – covering 18 districts in south Punjab – 228 teams were constituted to raid buses and check whether transporters were overcharging commuters. Officials told The Express Tribune that they had received special instructions in this regard for buses travelling to small towns and to the tribal areas. The DCOs supervised the operation in collaboration with secretaries of regional transport authorities.



Since Wednesday, the teams have collected Rs10 million in fines from transporters caught levying excessive fares. According to official statistics, 1,300 vans, buses, coaches and mini-coasters have been fined. Teams in Bahawalpur and Sargodha divisions recorded the highest number of violations. In Rahim Yar Khan, 41 coaches have been fined Rs500,000 since Wednesday.

The teams were directed to not only raid bus stands but also to check buses plying the national highway and major traffic arteries to check fares.

Several officials of regional transport authorities told The Express Tribune that one of the reasons the operation had been successful was that they had full support from the government and were instructed not to buckle under pressure.  They said the operation would continue for three more days.

The government has also displayed toll-free numbers at all bus stations and transport terminals so that citizens can complain about being overcharged.

Several commuters said the crackdown should have been put into effect stringently in Lahore first. “Lahore handles the largest number of commuters…the transport mafia have agents on the roads who take advantage of desperate travellers,” said Ali Ahmed, who was waiting for a bus in Multan.

He said the crackdown was a great idea and should continue in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2015.