Transporters in twin cities do booming business on polling day

ISLAMABAD: The transport business in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi witnessed a big boom as political parties and contestants hired the transport vehicles to facilitate their voters on Election Day.

The candidates remained busy in hiring public transport vehicles even a day before the polling day because they feared that the delay might cause a great problem for their voters. Almost all the owners of rent-a-car businesses introduced attractive packages for those interested and provided various luxury vehicles to their voters.

Rental rates of flashy brands also doubled, even tripled, in the last two months, said a citizen Faizan Ali. Candidates were busy to bring the voters to the polling stations and then take them back to their homes, said a Young voter, Noman Ali, at a polling station. “We expect a 100 per cent rise in rental transport business during the election day,”” said a transport manager of a local bus stand.

These vehicles are also hired by the Election Commission of Pakistan to make an effortless transportation for the staffers and other electoral officials, he added. After hiring the vehicles in such a number from general bus stand, a deficiency of vehicles for public transport has emerged for the passengers required to travel to other cities, said a female passenger while lamenting the problem.

Sajjid Zubair, who is running a rent-a-car showroom at Aabpara said that he had asked his relatives to rent out their vehicles through him and earn good money. He said whether the candidates win or lose, the businessmen would be happy in both the cases. According to the manager, general bus stand, other than buses and coaches, more vehicles have been rented.

Around 450 vehicles have also been transported from general bus stand to different districts to ease the transportation for voters to reach to their respective polling stations by the political parties and the contestants running in general elections 2018.

After renting out the vehicles, next is to make the fuel arrangements. Vehicles in long lines remained queued up for filling up the fuel tanks. Imran Qasim, who rents out cars in the Blue Area said he had arranged around 100 to 200 vehicles, which he got from his relatives and friends.