The Diplomatic Shuttle Service, Islamabad grossly overcharges visa seekers who are compelled to use the service to reach the embassies. According to the official website, the return ticket for a short 10-minute-long ride to the embassies is Rs500. There are two ticket counters, one for executive class and the other for economy. In early hours of the day, the rush at the service centre is at its peak. When I went there, I found out that the economy class counter was closed. Anxious visa seekers had no option but to buy the executive class tickets at an exorbitant cost of Rs1,000 per ticket. However, about half an hour later, when the rush had subsided, the economy class counter was opened.
Generally, most visa seekers prefer the economy class ride which isn’t profitable for the transport contractor. It seems that the staff deliberately keep the counter closed to profit off of people’s helplessness. The CDA staff should look into the matter and ensure that the economy class counter remains open at all times.
Khalid Hyder
Rawalpindi