LAHORE - The unbridled powerful transporters have not decreased the fare at inter and intra-city routes in Punjab proportionate to around 40 per cent slash in petroleum prices from last November till today.
Routine statements have been issued to the media about the cuts in fare on every month by the transport department and transporters, but the ground situation is totally different and there is no considerable cut in fare across the province keeping in view the reduction in fuel prices.
A similar dramatic statement was issued by the transport authorities to the media about five to seven per cent cut in fare after the PM’s announcement on Saturday about decrease in petroleum price, however, the passengers have witnessed no cut in charges so far.
The commuters mainly belong to poor and lower middle class are paying the old fare (as was in November) in Lahore and other big cities and at inter-city routes.
The stop-to-stop fare in Lahore is unchanged for months - Rs15 at mini vans and Rs18 at the buses running under umbrella of Lahore Transport Company. A passenger who takes a bus (AC/non-AC) from Thokar Niaz Beg bypass for Okara or Sahiwal or Mian Channu or Khanewal to upward destinations pays the almost old fare respectively as Rs200, Rs250, Rs400 and Rs500 and so on. The situation is almost same when one travels from Lahore to toward North Punjab cities (Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Wazirabad, and Rawalpindi) and towards central Punjab (Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Sing and others). A minor cut of Rs20 to Rs30 had been introduced in fare by the transporters since November 2014.
In fact, there is no check and balance of transport authorities and even there is no mechanism of reduction in fare in the province and reportedly across the country. The powerful mafia of transporters mainly belong to ruling elite does their own without any interference.
Although main transport companies like Daewoo, Bilal Travel, Rajput Travel, Rahber Travel, Faisal Movers and others introduced cuts in fare during last three months, it does not matches with the reduction in diesel price.
Normally, a person never bothers to work on numbers and check the proportionate in fare-fuel cut and prefer to travel avoiding an argument with transport companies’ staff. But, the other private transporters (air-conditioned and non AC buses and vans), which meet the need of 70 to 80 per cent commuters of Punjab, are paying the fare which the transport owner wants. Daily clashes are a routine matter between passengers and bus staff on fare issue. The transport department has never intervened. The helplessness of the department could be seen on Eid days when transporters charge double and triple fare from millions of commuters who travel from Lahore and Rawalpindi to other cities.
Majority of the public transport at both inter and intra-city routes is unfit, worn-out and outdated and without any mechanism of fare.