Taking advantage of the huge rush of passengers, the owners of public transport vehicles have started charging the homebound people extra, even double the regular fare, due to absence of proper monitoring by the government. A large number of people living in the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad travels back to their cities and villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones.
The transporters fully exploit the situation and if a passenger dares to protest the one-sided and illegal increase of fares, they misbehave with them and even drag them out of the vehicle. During a visit to bus stands in the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad on Wednesday, passengers said that due to shortage of public transport vehicles, the transporters were charging fares at their free will.
People have no other option to reach their homes for Eid except paying the increased fares. The transporters, they said, had also started charging for small-size luggage and those who refused to pay were asked to get off halfway. The people stressed the need that authorities concerned should fulfil their duties and stop fleecing of passengers.
People pointed out that none of the transporters had displayed fare-lists. Bus fare of different routes fluctuates by Rs 20 to 150 more than the usual, as people have started leaving the capital for home on Wednesday to share the joy of Eid-ul-Azha with their families and friends.
The passengers at the general bus stands of the twin cities complained and protested against the exploitation and called for strict measures to stop the exploitation immediately. Gul Zaman, a labourer from Dir said he saved every penny to spend on Eid with their families but the overcharging adding to their financial problems and affect their budget.
"The poor are already facing severe inflation and the over pricing by the transporters furthers their trust in the government," he remarked. A huge number of people were seen anxious for tickets at different bus terminals, particularly of long-route buses, as broker syndicates control the ticket sale in the city.
However, many of them could finally manage tickets paying double and in some cases triple the usual charges. The staff of most of the bus counters said the tickets were already sold out although during visits to different bus terminals, some staff were seen selling tickets at the counters at higher rate.
They, however, claimed that they were not charging extra rather maintaining the government rate. The owners of bus terminals have already started selling tickets with extra fare, which is likely to continue at least 10 days after the Eid.
However, they claimed that they were maintaining the rate fixed by the government. Meanwhile, people travelling by trains and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) face the same problem. Tickets are sold in black and the lower class tickets are all bought by the black ticketing mafia which then sells them at higher rates to the passengers.