Public transport ride in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi : Have you ever taken a jumpy bus ride or crammed yourself into a dilapidated public transport with windows that won’t open throughout the journey? Pindiites known as adventurous travellers, on occasions, take transport risks that they would never consider in another city.

“We have been herded into dubious vehicles like wagons, buses, Suzukis, sat on them praying that the jerking turbulence was normal. We have always accepted this nightmarish experience as part of traveling on city roads but we have never chosen these forms of transport on purpose,” says Talibul Moula.

“My two-hour bus ride from Soan Adda to Pirwadhai was just terrible. I was a little nervous when I was rushed onto the moving bus coming from Rawat, jumbled inside, searching for available seat in the minuscule, crowded aisle, bumping into passengers, until I finally found an irritating vacant seat in the rear of the bus, where a punctured tyre was placed,” says Iftikhar Hussain.

“I tried to stretch out but the tyre occupied my legroom. The guy sitting by me was sleeping with half his body hanging off the front seat and his head pressed against the side of the bus. My body was wedged between the right and left passenger. I tried to ease myself by moving a bit but my shirt accidentally caught the naked iron bar of the seat and torn apart. Adding to my woes was the much longer than expected stay at every stop,” adds Iftikhar.

“If you are traveling on public transport, you had better get mentally ready for a shock and need not smirk in disgust. The public transportation system is far from satisfactory in Rawalpindi. More new routes have been introduced. Vehicles are being operated even in suburban areas but many vehicles are very old and ill-maintained. The drivers are operating these vehicles which are still run even after the specified service limit,” says Amir Rizvi.

“Though a number of new vehicles have been introduced in the past years, the old, dilapidated and damaged vehicles are still in service. Yesterday I made a reality check of buses at Pirwadhai bus stand, I came across a number of vehicles that were running without proper maintenance. Some of them were found to be even without spare tyres,” says Sadaqat Ali.

“I guess the workshops are certainly overburdened with the backlog as the condition of some of the vehicles was not satisfactory. Some of them were standing at the stand with broken and ruptured seats,” adds Sadaqat.

Ali Yazdain says: “If you are a regular commuter who prefers traveling by public transport, make sure to check the condition of the vehicle before boarding one. Chances are, you may end up on an ailing vehicle and may have to face difficulty during the journey.”