The Faisalabad city government authorities have ordered the police to launch a crackdown on the buses and vans that are overcharging passengers without immunity on inter-city routes.
A secret police agency, assigned to monitor the transport operations, reported to higher police authorities that the Road Transport Authority (RTA) secretary and his staff had failed to check overcharging of bus and van fares while the travelers were being exploited at the hands of transporters’ mafia. The report says that transporters have implemented their arbitrary fare list that is 20-30 percent higher than the actual rates.
It is significant to note that most of their inter-city vans and buses are CNG-driven, but on every increase of petroleum prices, these transporters are the first to increase their fares. The commuters say that the transport mafia is running a parallel system of its own. The RTA, out of its incapacity to act or vested interest, is totally out of the picture in this context. The transporters have set up their cartels that are strong and powerful enough to disregard all rules and regulations. There are reports that these transporters are offering a monthly tribute to the authorities for their alleged silence over the illegal profiteering. Passengers are unwillingly paying Rs 30 as fare from Faisalabad to Jaranwala against the fixed fare of Rs 24. The situation is all the same on other inter-city routes. For example, the authorised fare from Faisalabad to Samundary is Rs 31, but the van drivers are charging Rs 40 without any fear of the authorities.
Similarly, fare for Faisalabad to Tandliawala is being charged Rs 60 instead of Rs 42. Fare for Satyana is Rs 18, but they are charging Rs 25. The most terrible position is recorded at Faisalabad-Jhang route where the approved fare is Rs 52, but the transporters are taking Rs 80 from the passengers. The citizens have appealed to the RTA to protect the public from the transport mafia.
