Traffic chief proposes bus fare cut for students, disabled

Karachi

The city’s traffic police chief has proposed reducing public transport vehicles’ fares for students and disabled people.

DIG Traffic Karachi Amir Shaikh told The News on Wednesday that he had letter to the transport secretary proposing a decrease in fares for students and disabled people and an amendment in the existing Rule-79 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1969.

The official said he had consulted his legal advisers to prepare the proposal.

He explained that under the current law, students showing their valid identity card would be eligible to pay a fare of 25 paisas for a one-side journey of less than 20 miles on a bus.

The official said he had recommended amending this to Rs5 for a one-side journey.

For a one-side journey of over 20 miles, he has recommended half of the prescribed fare.

No student will be made to stand from his seat during their journey in a bus but students are expected to leave their seats for accommodating women and elderly people. More than 15 students will not be allowed to travel in a bus at the same.

The official has also recommended that at least two seats be reserved in every bus for disabled people and they should be charged half of the fare.

The current law says that in case students travelling in buses have a complaint against the bus service, they can contact the district magistrate concerned whose office is established in the district ketchari. The official said he had recommended allowing this facility to disabled people too.

The DIG said there were complaints from the Tariq Road area of traffic congestions and he had notified setting up a new traffic section there to address the problem. The notification reads, “With a view to improve the traffic management in the area of Tariq Road and its surrounding areas, a new traffic section, namely ‘Khalid Bin Waleed Traffic Section’ is hereby created in the Traffic District East, Karachi with immediate effect by curtailing the area of Tariq Road Traffic Section, as proposed by the SP Traffic East.”

The jurisdiction of the traffic section is Sharea Quaideen from Allah Wali Roundabout to Society Roundabout, Khalid Bin Waleed Road to Medicare Light Signal, Shaheed-e-Millat Expressway from Medicare Light Signal to Kashmir Road up till the Society Roundabout.

The jurisdiction also includes the inner roads and streets between Kashmir Road and Khalid Bin Waleed Road.

The DIG said the SP Traffic would provide personnel for the new traffic section from the manpower at his disposal and also ensure the construction of a new traffic kiosk at an appropriate place.