Advisor to Chief Minister and Lahore Transport Company (LTC) Chairman Khawaja Ahmed Hassan has said that citizens of more than 65 years of age and the disabled would be given free transport facilities in Lahore. He was presiding over a meeting of LTC Board of Directors on Wednesday.
According to the press release issued on Wednesday, LTC will issue special cards and make arrangements for the registration of senior citizens and disabled persons of the city. LTC will issue transport cards to students on concession. LTC in consultation with the educational institutions will register and make arrangements for the issuance of cards, after entering into agreements with the educational institutions. LTC cardholders will obtain free transport facilities. Students will be charged Rs 5 for each trip.
Members of the LTC board Mohsan Latif, Mehar Ishtiaq, Javed Masood, LTC Chief Executive Officer JI Kim, General Manager Operation Asad Rehman Gillani, General Manager Enforcement SSP Fawad Qureshi, General Manager Finance Adnan Mudassar, Chief Traffic Officer Lahore Syed Ahmed Mobeen and other senior officers were present in the meeting.
LTC chairman said that the Punjab Chief Minister was giving top priority to the provision of standardized and affordable transport facilities to the public. He said that LTC would soon ply 300 buses on urban routes through public private partnership. He said the LTC would soon enter into agreements with private companies in order to provide better transport facilities. He said that it has been decided to provide operational subsidy to the old buses. He said that a transparent method was being evolved for the distribution of subsidy for old buses in the city. He said that buses were being effectively monitored on routes through tracking systems. He said that utilization of subsidy on the refurbishment of old buses would be insured. He said that the tracking system would be installed in the all buses in the city. Already established control system in the LTC headquarters would be made more effective for the monitoring of urban buses.
He said SSP Fawad Qureshi would be responsible for the implementation of tracking system. He said that through phased programs electronic ticketing system would be introduced. He said that LTC would make concrete measures for road disciplines, security and safety of urban transport buses. He said that people of Lahore had many expectations from LTC. He said that no extra financial burden would be borne by the transporters in the free transport scheme. He said that senior citizens and the disabled would have to submit their photographs, identity cards and applications to the LTC for getting specialized cards. He said that Rs 100 would be charged for LTC card for lifetime.