5 per cent reduction in transport fares on all routes of Rawalpindi ordered

Rawalpindi:After the reduction in petroleum products POL prices, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi, Hasan Waqar Cheema, has decided to decrease transport fares by 5 per cent. The DC has instructed transporters to immediately reduce fares by 5 per cent.

A meeting of transporters and bus stand owners, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Hasan Waqar Cheema, was held in his office on Thursday. It has been decided to reduce fares by 5 per cent on all routes in Rawalpindi following the reduction of petroleum products.

He has warned that the fare list should be displayed at prominent places at all bus stands. A special squad should be formed to check the fares daily to implement the reduction in fares, the DC warned. He said that banners should be displayed at lorry stands and Suzuki stops to provide awareness among the public regarding the reduction in fares. A complaint cell should be established in the office of Secretary RTA to register complaints regarding fares, he directed.

It is necessary to provide direct relief to the public after the reduction of petroleum products, he advised. He also said that special attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the bus stand. The directives of the Punjab government will be issued to the bus stand management for good arrangements for cleaning the bus stand, Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema said.

He said that citizens can register their complaints on the following phone number of the Complaint Cell: 051-9270011. The District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Secretary, Rashid Ali, said that we will issue a new price list within 24 hours. It would be necessary for all transporters to display the fare list in their transports. In case of violation, we will take strict action against transporters, he warned.

In the present situation, local and long-route transporters were overcharging passengers. Local transporters charge Rs50 stop-to-stop, while long route transporters charge fares at their own discretion. Overall, the federal government reduced around Rs22 in petrol prices per litre in a month. However, powerful transporters were charging fares at their discretion. The majority of local and long-route transporters continued to charge fares at their own discretion even after the reduction of POL prices on Thursday.