Taking undue advantage of the closure of CNG stations under the gas load-management measure, the taxi drivers in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued overcharging the passengers. Several commuters complained that the taxi drivers were busy in looting the public with both hands as they were charging three to four times higher compared to the normal days.
"A taxi driver charged Rs 200 from Sadiqabad bus stop on Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road (Murree Road Rawalpindi) to Zero point (Islamabad) against the normal fare of Rs 60, Adnan Karim a public servant told APP. He said on his protest over the unjustified fare, the taxi driver argued he "was running his vehicle on petrol and not on CNG".
A number of other passengers also said that taxi drivers were charging the fairs according to their own will and there was no check on the part of the traffic police or district administration. Some commuters claimed that the taxi drivers had parked their cabs and were not plying on inter-city routes because of non-availability of CNG.
"Even for the smaller distances the cabs drivers plying their vehicles on Rawalpindi and Islamabad roads are charging over Rs 100", another passenger complained. They appealed to the concerned authorities to take strict notice of the taxi drivers attitude and fix their fares. They also appealed to the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad that a comprehensive campaign against the taxi drivers should be launched in order to check the overcharging by the drivers for the relief of the passengers.