RAWALPINDI:
As the Eidul Azha holiday began on Tuesday, a steady flow of commuters from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued to return to their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.
On the last day before Eid, an extraordinary rush of passengers was witnessed at transport terminals and bus stands, while shortage of vehicles, congestion and excessive fares caused serious problems for travellers.
Although a large number of commuters had already left for their hometowns before Eid, heavy crowds continued on the last day at various transport hubs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including the Pirwadhai Bus Terminal. A large number of people continued to flock to transport stations in a bid to spend Eid with their families.
Due to an acute shortage of passenger cars, citizens and families were forced to endure long waiting times at the terminals. Several routes, including those serving Multan, Mianwali, Layyah and Kot Addu, reportedly faced shortage of transport, while complaints also surfaced about transporters charging fares way above the prescribed fares.
A worker identified as Kareem said, “We have been waiting for several hours. There are very few vehicles available and fares are being charged at almost double the normal rate.”
Another passenger, Afzal, commented: “There are ten of us. We have been at Pirwadhai terminal since 4am and are supposed to travel to Kot Addu but no vehicle is available. We are now being told that a bus can arrive at 3pm so we are still waiting.”
Passengers further alleged that some transport operators resort to overloading of vehicles. “We arrived here early in the morning and even bought expensive tickets, but still there are no vehicles available. We are told that buses can arrive between 3 pm and 4 pm,” they said, adding that the prevailing situation not only aggravated hardships for travelers but also increased the risk of accidents due to congestion.
Transporters, however, maintained that vehicles were sent to their destinations as soon as they arrived, although they acknowledged that lack of transport remained a serious problem
Meanwhile, following several complaints, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) along with the Highway Police and City Traffic Police Rawalpindi continued their crackdown on transporters involved in overcharging and congestion. According to officials, demands were issued against violators while excess fares collected from passengers were also refunded.
Highway police spokesperson Saqib Waheed said the highway police had refunded more than Rs2.6 million in overcharges to passengers. He further revealed that over 9,000 claims had been issued on charges relating to congestion, overcharging and incomplete travel documentation.
Separately, CTP spokesperson Kashif Shoroosh said challan tickets had been issued to 177 vehicles for charging fares above the approved fares.
Meanwhile, RTA Secretary Asad Abbas said RTA Rawalpindi had issued challans to 68 vehicles and ensured that 133 passengers were refunded the excess fares collected from them.
