The transporters on Friday continued to fleece citizens under the pretext of running their vehicles on petrol, as all CNG stations in the twin cities observed the weekly gas holiday. Very little public transport was witnessed plying various routes in the twin cities. Commuters travelling to and fro the two cities faced great difficulty in reaching their destinations.
The transporters overcharged them at will by either not completing the routes or simply demanding higher fares.
But authorities concerned did not take any action against the transporters to bring the situation under control, commuters waiting for public transports at several bus stops told Pakistan Today.
Muhammad Salim said the transporters continued to overcharge the public unchecked. “I got on a wagon of route number 1 from Shamsabad bus stop. After boarding the vehicle, the conductor told me that they would only go up to Faidazabad, as the vehicle was running on petrol due to CNG load shedding,” he complained. However, the same vehicle departed for Islamabad after charging twice the routine fare, he alleged.
Another passenger, Kazim, told Pakistan Today that the transporters were taking full advantage of the gas load shedding and minting money.
He said the taxi cab drivers also kept their vehicles off the road and those who did not demanded exorbitant fares citing gas load sheding. “A taxi driver demanded Rs 200 for taking me a distance that is usually charged Rs 100,” he complained.
About 50 percent of the public transport vehicles remained off the roads on Friday due to the closure of CNG stations.
The passengers demanded the authorities concerned take strict notice of the problem and withdraw the decision of conducting CNG load shedding in the twin cities. They alleged that closing CNG stations was a clear injustice to the inhabitants of the twin cities.