No law in Punjab to check public transport fares

LAHORE: There exists no law in Punjab under which the provincial government can take action against the public transport companies for overcharging passengers of air-conditioned inter-city routes buses.

According to sources, the provincial cabinet had deregulated inter-city public transport buses in 2003, and did not regulate the AC bus services for the last 17 years. Earlier, the provincial government used to determine the fares of AC inter-city buses. But, as a result of deregulation, transport owners started charging travellers at their will. According to sources, the cabinet had decided that public transport owners could increase fares on the basis of the facilities provided to passengers.

The sources said that it was a practice the world over that the transport owners were given subsidy. However, in Punjab subsidy was being given on only Metro bus service and Orange Line train in Lahore. Sources said the public transport companies’ owners recently increased fares more than 60 per cent on the pretext of implementation of coronavirus SOPs [standard operating procedures]. The transport department authorities arrested more than 100 people and impounded 22 vehicles only on Lahore-Rawalpindi route over violations of the Covid-19 SOPs.

However, Lahore District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Secretary Ghiasuddin, while talking to the reporter, claimed that according to his information no transport company of Lahore had increased fare on the pretext of the coronavirus SOPs.