Transporters monopoly irks Multan residents

Monopoly of influential transporters in public transport system had added to the miseries of the commuters and people of Multan demanded a healthy competition between the bus owners and wagon owners to save them from the long wait for the transport.
Public transport can be regarded as a greatest facility provided by the government through private sector to those citizens who cannot have or afford any means of transport for themselves and their families.
Public transport system in Pakistan usually consists of private vans, coasters, buses and Suzuki, which runs daily on various routes through out the cities, asking cheap and an affordable fares from the common commuters.
But for many years it has really become an agonising choice for common commuters and has added nothing but more miseries for them. These public buses, vans and Suzuki vans have lost their punctuality as they arrive most of the time late and minimum fare if Rs 6 (no concession for children).
Now sometime Rickshaw and taxi is cheaper than bus or van fare. The reason is that they stop at various bus stops, shops or wherever they find people standing making the passengers sitting inside reach their destination behind schedule. "Public buses and vans are loaded with commuters standing inside them, sitting on their roof and even clinging to their doors and foot boards, it has become impossible for us to reach our offices in time" says Rao Muhammad Naeem who is a government employee.
Going about the havoc wrecked by public vans and not to mention their over-speeding would be a crime.
Moreover, menace of pressure horns, playing tape recorders during driving, and excessive use of rude and offensive language even in the presence of female passengers, have become very common in a public transport vehicles.
"All the driver and conductors of these public vans are illiterate and rude they don't even care if there are women sitting in their vans or not. They just speak rudely with all the passengers even if they have given their fares," says Aisha Bano, a teacher in a local school who travels daily in public vans in order to reach her school.
Majority of the public transport plying on the city lack vehicle fitness, and their drivers also lack an authentic driving training. The result is smoke emitting shabby vehicles and reckless driving which leads to various nasty accidents and traumas. These public vans are wrecking havoc with health and even lives of poor commuters.
Unfortunately, this chaotic and undisciplined public transport system will continue to torment common commuters as no serious action on the government level appears to be in sight to make public trannsport system a better choice for the commuters. Removal of old vehicles and untrained and illiterate driver could be the first step in taming the public transport system and gaining back the lost trust of commuters.