Transporters fleecing commuters due to closure of metro bus service

Rawalpindi :Taking full opportunity of the suspension of Metro Bus Service on Rawalpindi and Islamabad Routes due to protest at Faizabad for past six days, the public transporters are fleecing the passengers by claiming huge fares from Saddar to Faizabad. This illegal step adopted by the public transporters clearly speaks high volume of inefficiency of the concerned department Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Rawalpindi for its complete failure to check this practice.

The public transporters plying Coasters No 1 are overcharging openly by charging huge fares Rs30 from each passenger from Saddar to Faizabad. The passengers who resist are not boarded on vehicle by the transporters with rude behaviour. The people seemed to be helpless on wagon stops having no other option utilize the services of coasters for reaching their destinations.

Though this practice is continuing over the last five days with the suspension of Metro Bus Services however, the related officials of RTA expressed their awareness over such illegal practice of overcharging by the public transporters.

The RTA Secretary, Khalid Yamin Satti when approached in this regard, he expressed his unawareness over the overcharging being done by the public transporters. Howeve,r this high official said that he would check into the matter and take action against the transporters who are fleecing commuters. The people also voiced concerned over the undue suspension of metro bus service not operating for the last five days. The protest is being held at a particular point of Faizabad while metro buses operate on upper routes in Rawalpindi. As such no question of suspending metro bus services arise, the people claimed.

On the other hand, a large section of passengers including men and women, students, officer goers have voiced concern over the practice of overcharging adopted by the public transporters. We are already facing trouble and hardships due to closure of roads, suspension of metro bus service and the overcharging by public transporters have further added the miseries. When such situations like protests, strikes happen to take place the governments, concerned authorities of the related departments should take effective measures to provide relief to the masses by arranging alternative transport facilities for the public. The passengers demanded off the Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Transport Chairman to take notice against the failure of RTA authorities for their failure to check overcharging by the public transporters particularly coasters.

While this practice is continuing for the last six days none of the officials and staff of the RTA has been seen even on major wagon stops to keep a check on the transporters which are openly fleecing the passengers. Even the traffic wardens are not seen on duties on certain major points which further encourage the transporters to do overcharging.

However, the official spokesman of CTO, Wajid Ali while commenting over the issue said that it is the duty of RTA to take action against transporters for overcharging and violating the routes. The task of traffic police/wardens is to get maintain traffic rules by the motorists, public transporters etc. If public transporters violate the traffic rules then action is taken against them which includes huge fines and impounding of their vehicles. Any how he advised the people to approach traffic wardens on helpline no.9272616 if transporters overcharge, misbehave and abuse them. Immediate action would be taken against them. In other case, the people could visit Traffic Office with complaint applications, the spokesman said.