Bus service: Lack of parking at new Islamabad airport creating problems for passengers

Rawalpindi: The Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Captain (r) Anwar-ul-Haq has written a letter to Secretary (Aviation) to provide proper parking space for busses at New Islamabad Airport because commuters have been facing difficulties in reaching the airport. The newly launched busses are off-loading passengers at 26 No Chungi Stop on Motorway Chowk, almost 10-kilometer away before the New Islamabad Airport from where the passengers once again have to hire a taxicab to reach the airport.

The local administration has launched 10 buses of a private company from Rawat to New Islamabad Airport. Punjab government has directed the company to bring the commuters to New Islamabad Airport. Punjab government has also directed Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Rawalpindi to provide a proper route permit to the company to ply its busses from Rawat to New Islamabad Airport. But, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is yet to provide the busses a proper parking spot of the airport.

Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Secretary Ghulam Abbas Mehar told ‘The News’ that in collaboration with a private transport company they are plying 10 busses from Rawat to New Islamabad Airport. “But, busses are off-loading passengers at the stop of 26 No Chungi on Motorway Chowk. The CAA has not yet provided parking space for the busses in the limits of the airport therefore public is suffering,” he said. He said that Deputy Commissioner (DC) has written a letter to Secretary (Aviation) to provide proper parking to busses in airport jurisdiction. We have issued ‘Route Permit’ to these busses from Rawat to New Islamabad Airport, he said.

The local administration has fixed Rs180 fare from Rawat to New Islamabad Airport. Passengers not only paying Rs180 to newly launched busses but paying Rs300 to Rs400 to taxicabs from 26 No Chungi stop to the airport as well.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Deputy Director Muhammad Shoaib said that they have received a letter from the deputy commissioner. “We have sent this letter to Secretary (Aviation), we will follow the directions of higher authority in this regard,” he said. “We are waiting for his and follow his directives,” he added.

Earlier, the RTA authority had invited proposals from private bus operators for the bus service from Rawat to the airport. Unfortunately, all private transport companies had refused to ply busses from Rawalpindi to New Islamabad Airport because CAA was not providing them proper parking space in airport jurisdiction.

Raja Khalid, owner of the private transport company said that they are plying only 10 busses initially but were facing difficulties due to the absence of parking in the airport. “We have planned to ply around 30 busses from Rawalpindi to New Islamabad Airport if CAA will provide us proper parking space in airport jurisdiction,” he said. He said that we are offloading passenger 10-km before the airport because CAA does not allow us to enter the airport, he said.