Fares on intercity routes increase by 50 percent

After the increase in prices of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the local transporters have increased the fare rates on intercity routes by 50 percent. Talking to a group of reporters here on Friday, Sarhad Transport Owners Association president Khan Zaman Afridi said that they had decided to increase fare rate in local transport from Rs10 to Rs 15 on basis of per bus stop.
The transporters leader complained that despite the another whopping increase in CNG prices, the provincial government is yet to discuss the issue with transporters in order to issue a fare list with mutual understanding and urged the authorities concerned to issue new fare list in accordance with hike in price of CNG and petroleum products.
Zaman Afridi informed that the decision was taken in a combined meeting of different unions of transporters wherein the participants expressed serious concern over the increase in CNG up to Rs 22 per kilogram and described it sheer injustice with both transporters and passengers.
He disclosed that transporters had started charging Rs 20 additionally from every passenger in the intercity passenger vehicles (plying from Peshawar to different cities of the country), saying that it could further be increased in case the CNG or diesel price was further increased. The association president said that transport department had revised the fare by Rs 1.45 per kilometre but transporters had demanded Rs 1.82.
Meanwhile, another group of the CNG station owners led by Real CNG Owners Association chairman Hamad Ashraf at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club said that motorists and public transporters would turn to petrol which would force the CNG owners to close down the gas stations. Ashraf said that the gas tariff was increased by 31 percent which was for the second time in 10 months that reached to 71 percent with imposition of various taxes on the CNG sector.
Hammad Ashraf said that recently the gas tariff was increased by 31 percent and it was the second time in 10 months that reached to 71 percent with imposition of various taxes on the CNG sector which had tremendously added to the problems of the business community and consumers. Hamad Ashraf said that after the undue increase in the CNG prices there was no difference left between the consumption in petrol and CNG prices and by that increase the public transport fares would also be increased by 40 to 50 percent after the hike in CNG prices.