Punjab Transport Department (PTD) has failed to import 350 more CNG buses from China for the facilitation of common passengers in the metropolis. The Punjab government had decided to import 400 CNG buses but imported only 50, which are insufficient for the passengers of the city.
Punjab government has also failed to implement the devised transport policy in the provincial capital, consequently, passengers have to face a lot of difficulties such as over-loading, lack of public buses, passengers scuffling with each other, jam packed rush in the buses, non-availability of the seats, insulting behaviour of conductors with passengers particularly with women passengers.
The provincial government provided bank loan facilities to the private transport companies to ply public transport in the metropolis to facilitate common masses. Punjab government banned the Hi-X wagons, which were plying on the various routes of the city. The sources told Business Recorder that approximately 860 public buses are plying on the various roads of the Lahore with the financial assistance of the different banks.
Two private transport companies had been declared defaulters and they had closed their offices and transport services after being bankrupt and their 40 buses are not plying on the roads now a days, the sources disclosed. The sources said that two more private transport companies, Niazi transport company and Premier transport company would be declared bank defaulters and their 60 buses would be ceased, the sources claimed.
The sources mentioned that, while making the transport policy it was decided that after every five minutes a bus would be plied on every public route just to facilitate the passengers through the Urban Transport System (UTS), consisting of seven private transport companies. The sources further said that just to strengthen the private transport companies business about 25,000 private passengers' wagons are banned and still 2,000 wagons are plying on the various routes in the city, which are insufficient for the public.