Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The transporters’ community on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr has increased fare rates and started looting the passengers with both hands as the authorities concerned are less bothered about maintaining the official price list. Most of the passengers are working in the provincial capital and are leaving for their home town across the province to celebrate Eid with their family members. The transporters have no official price list in their vehicles. However, the travellers do not have any alternative and are compelled to accept the rates fixed by the transporters. They were of the opinion that traffic police and concerned authorities have been informed in this regard time and again but to no avail. They felt exploited by the transport community.

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan Railway (PR) has been in great crisis for a long time and most people prefer travelling by road. The passengers alleged that traffic police took bribes from transporters. Although, they also expressed concerns over the misbehavior of transporters, against whom no action has been taken, despite their disobedience.

The transport department has neither devised any plan nor issued any emergency numbers or directives to counter the transporters or at least warn them against fleecing the travellers. Meanwhile, Provincial Transport Authority secretary Hamid Gigyani said that on the complaint of the passengers, he, along with other senior officials of the department including Manzoor Khan, a Director Transport were checking the transport fare aimed at arresting and fining the profiteers.

Owing to insufficient staff and few resources, the situation is not under their control totally and the passengers face hardships. He further said transporters did not have any rights to overcharge the travellers and anyone found guilty of getting unduly exorbitant fares from the passengers would be fined and their vehicles would be seized.

Rustam Khan, a passenger who was leaving for his home town of Der Ismail Khan, said that the transporters misbehaved with him. “If we cannot pay their high fares they told us to use our own vehicles,” he fumed. Similarly, he maintained that the routine fare for leaving D.I Khan was Rs 300 but in these days the transporters raised the price to Rs 500 on their own wishes and took advantage of the passengers’ helplessness.

The compelled masses had to pay as they had to reach their home towns before the auspicious day of Eid while the passengers also had to use overloaded coaches that could also become a danger to their lives. However, the transporters did not have any solid reason for increasing the fare rates, saying that they there was shortage of vehicles at the bus stands, due to which they raised the fare. Ziarat Gul, a Hi-ace drivers at Haji Camp Bus Stop (HCBS) while talking to this scribe said owing to passengers high rush they had raised the fare. “The increase in fare is due to the increase of our expenditures,” he mentioned a reason of the fare increased.