KARACHI: Despite the launch of separate green and red bus services by the federal and the provincial governments in Karachi, the people are still compelled to travel in old, ramshackle and untidy buses and Qingqis amid a severe paucity of decent public transport and their miseries are compounded by rising fuel prices.

The massive increase in diesel and petrol prices by Rs132.39 and Rs98.85 per litre to Rs276.54 and Rs248.74 per litre over the past one month has become the cause of bitter and angry arguments between daily commuters and conductors of public buses as the transport operators have started to charge almost double the fare.

After public buses, Qingqi rickshaw (pronounced ‘chingchi’ locally) operators have also started demanding Rs10-20 extra from passengers.

Situation for both passengers and conductors may become more intense as petrol and diesel rates are projected to go up to Rs300 per litre in order to meet one of the main conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the country to secure a loan.

• Sindh govt has not issued notification to increase fares of buses, coaches • People earning a good living suddenly feel miserable due to jacked up prices

While already under stress over huge price hikes in food prices, utility charges and jump in almost Rs20 in transport fares, any further rise in the fare for people earning Rs15,000-30,000 per month will make their lives more miserable and challenging.

After the fuel price hike, a large number of people who used to go to work by their own cars, have abandoned the thought of driving their vehicles and started using public transport to save fuel cost.

“Stop the bus,” a conductor loudly asked the bus driver and insisted the passenger get off the bus who dared to refuse to pay additional Rs20 while going from Water Pump in Federal B Area to Jama Cloth Market on M.A. Jinnah Road.

Many passengers fearing humiliation and disrespect at the hands of conductors simply pay the additional fares.

However many others who initially argue politely over the enhanced fares, find themselves unable to respond to indecent behaviour of bus conductors and pay the extra fare silently.

These types of ugly scenes between the conductors and passengers were hardly seen a month ago when transport fares were within the reach of a common man.

Now the anxiety level of both passengers and vehicle operators has crossed the limit and the situation has become highly charged resulting in daily exchange of indecent words between the two sides in public transport buses.

No official notification on new rates

Many passengers told Dawn that demanding additional fares was illegal in absence of any provincial government’s notification regarding the fare hike.

In another bus, an old man gave Rs30 to the bus conductor to reach Boulton Market from Karimabad, but the conductor pressurised him to pay an extra Rs10.

“I have given my fare which is enough and cannot pay more as I need to manage other expenses,” the old man replied, but the conductor, while insulting him, told him that “you have the money in your pocket but you are not deliberately paying it”.

On the other hand, some passengers also try to avoid paying bus fares after getting onto a bus. They start staring into their mobile phones, become engaged in calls or watch outside from the window giving the impression as they have already paid the fare especially when the conductor arrives to ask for the money.

Some passengers make grim faces and flatly refuse to pay any extra amount saying “they do not have any money in their pockets”. In such a situation, either a humble or slightly well-off passenger is seen paying the fare to avert any ensuing clash.

Transporters point of view

President of the Karachi Transport Itehad (KTI), Irshad Hussain Bukhari said: “We have passed on the impact of high diesel cost by raising fare at Rs10-20 in buses, mini buses and coaches in the last over one month.”

After a new price hike in diesel rates by Rs13.23 per litre, he said “we may not raise the fare and will try to sustain the pressure of high transportation charges as we cannot snatch the fare from the consumers who are already hard pressed.”

He agreed that the fares had been raised without any green signal or notification from the Sindh government.

Mr Bukhari said that the provincial government had not increased the fares since 2016 and the transport owners had no option but to take out the impact of rising diesel costs from the pockets of passengers.

He claimed that not only in Karachi, the transport charges had been increased all over the country.

Responding to a question about conductors’ misbehaviour with passengers for the last one month, he said “the cost of living has not only soared for the passengers, but bus owners and conductors also do have families and they are also paying high prices of food items and utility bills”.

Qingqi rickshaws story

Slightly better off passengers usually use these vehicles to travel on seats as compared to jam-packed buses and coaches.

However, the Qingqi drivers have also adopted a sort of rude attitude after the massive hike in petrol prices.

“I will take an extra Rs10-20 depending on your destination,” many Qingqi operators warn the passengers before allowing them into their vehicles so that the situation remains calm during the journey.

Many men and women take the seat without seeking fare details, but later on start arguing with the drivers when they demand additional fare.

It is also seen that when some passengers argue with the drivers at the time of paying fare, some passengers sitting inside a Qingqi request the passenger to kindly pay the extra fare as they are getting late.

A rickshaw driver told Dawn that since the fares had been increased, several impatient and angry passengers had grabbed the neck of drivers, used abusive language and paid only the old fares, which was unjust.

However, a large number of people simply paid the enhanced fare without creating any scene, he admitted.

He said rickshaw drivers pay Rs1,000 rent to the owners of the vehicles and extra Rs100-200 at Adda (station), a sort of fee collected by a person at different places. Without paying this fee, one cannot run the Qingqi, he added.

Giving an example, he said he spent Rs1,200-1,300 to fill the petrol tank for two rounds (from Allahwali New Karachi to Teen Hatti) which was earlier Rs600-700 when petrol price was Rs150 per litre.

“Our business is going normal despite Rs84 per litre hike in petrol as low income groups mostly rely on Qingqi in view of very high rates of ride-hailing services like Careem, Uber and In Driver and bike services of these companies,” a rickshaw owner said.

A customer said ride hailing services had also raised the fares after petrol price hike.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022