KARACHI, June 19: Many buses of Metro Service, on 9B-Route (Malir Cantt to Tower/ Keamari) are plying on road with their air-condition system either out of order or functioning very poorly.
The passengers are charged with full fares of AC coach, which is nearly double than the fare of non-AC coaches.
As the windows of these so called air-conditioned coaches are usually kept closed, their passengers have to bath in their own perspiration due to no ventilation.
Hundreds of passengers of this route, mainly the white-collared employees residing near Main University Road, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, and Rashid Minhas Road with their offices at I.I. Chundrigar Road, have to suffer due to travelling in these ‘hot’ coaches. And adding to their miseries, they have to pay the fare for air-condition.
Heated brawls between the staff of these coaches and the passengers over the working of air-condition are witnessed almost on daily basis.
The drivers and ticket-conductors of these coaches used to say that they are given these vehicles in that condition and they are not responsible for the functioning of their ACs. However, when passengers dare to lodge their complaints with the management, on the compliant phone number of the coach service, all they get is no reply tone.
Even if anybody manages to approach the management, he gets the response that just a few coaches have this problem and it is duly being redressed.
The commuters have demanded that the concerned transport authorities should install a foolproof mechanism to ensure that all those coach services charging fares for air-conditioned coaches should keep the AC system of their vehicles in proper working condition, or charge the commuters with non-AC fares.—PPI
