High fares, overcrowded transport: Eid turns sour for passengers returning home
High fares, overcrowded transport: Eid turns sour for passengers returning home
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: People taking public transport to reach their hometowns for Eid have complained of overcharging by transporters and overcrowded buses/vans.They told Daily Times at the city’s inter-city bus terminals on Saturday that transporters were charging Rs 50 to Rs 200 more than normal fare without any let or hindrance.These bus terminals are situated at G-9 Markaz, Soan, Pirwadhai, Faizabad and on Peshawar Road.Fazal Khan, a passenger, said he had to pay Rs 200 against the normal fare of Rs 120 for Swabi only because transport authorities had closed their eyes to overcharging by transporters this Eid.Zulfiqar Ahmed, another passenger, regretted availability of limited number of inter-city buses.He said five buses were available to Sahiwal-bound passengers before Eid and the number was too short to be sufficient considering the great rush. He said transporters didn’t run special buses on Eid to fleece people wanted to leave for hometowns.Sajid Mehmood said at Peshawar Road bus terminal that people turning up a day or two before Eid were driven from pillar to post for tickets. He said his hours-long wait for a seat in his homebound bus had turned out to be an exercise in futility.Ghulam Abbas of a transport company said special buses couldn’t be run on Eid for fear of loss. “The rush is only for Eid days. If we increase the number of buses on Eid, they’ll return empty due to availability of limited number of passengers, causing us lots of financial loss,” he said. He said his company stopped booking inter-city transport seats two days ahead of Eid.Passengers also complained about overcrowded inter-city transport vehicles. The government’s failure to ensure fare reduction following a significant drop in oil prices also drew their ire.When contacted, Sher Khan of Motorway Police said rules promised action against drivers of overcrowded buses/vans but traffic cops showed leniency in this respect before and during Eid days. He said if ticketed for overcrowded vehicles, transporters paid the fine ‘happily’ as the money they earned by overloading was far more than the fine
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\08\story_8-12-2008_pg11_1
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: People taking public transport to reach their hometowns for Eid have complained of overcharging by transporters and overcrowded buses/vans.They told Daily Times at the city’s inter-city bus terminals on Saturday that transporters were charging Rs 50 to Rs 200 more than normal fare without any let or hindrance.These bus terminals are situated at G-9 Markaz, Soan, Pirwadhai, Faizabad and on Peshawar Road.Fazal Khan, a passenger, said he had to pay Rs 200 against the normal fare of Rs 120 for Swabi only because transport authorities had closed their eyes to overcharging by transporters this Eid.Zulfiqar Ahmed, another passenger, regretted availability of limited number of inter-city buses.He said five buses were available to Sahiwal-bound passengers before Eid and the number was too short to be sufficient considering the great rush. He said transporters didn’t run special buses on Eid to fleece people wanted to leave for hometowns.Sajid Mehmood said at Peshawar Road bus terminal that people turning up a day or two before Eid were driven from pillar to post for tickets. He said his hours-long wait for a seat in his homebound bus had turned out to be an exercise in futility.Ghulam Abbas of a transport company said special buses couldn’t be run on Eid for fear of loss. “The rush is only for Eid days. If we increase the number of buses on Eid, they’ll return empty due to availability of limited number of passengers, causing us lots of financial loss,” he said. He said his company stopped booking inter-city transport seats two days ahead of Eid.Passengers also complained about overcrowded inter-city transport vehicles. The government’s failure to ensure fare reduction following a significant drop in oil prices also drew their ire.When contacted, Sher Khan of Motorway Police said rules promised action against drivers of overcrowded buses/vans but traffic cops showed leniency in this respect before and during Eid days. He said if ticketed for overcrowded vehicles, transporters paid the fine ‘happily’ as the money they earned by overloading was far more than the fine
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\08\story_8-12-2008_pg11_1
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