RAWALPINDI: After a sharp rise in the prices of petroleum products, transporters have increased the fares unilaterally.

Petroleum prices crossed Rs200 per liter for the first time in the history of the country. The last time the fare was officially revised on May 17, 2020.

Yasir Mehmood, a commuter, said the fare from Rawat to Katcheri has been increased from Rs70 to Rs80 after the increase in the petrol price. He said: “I spend Rs150 to Rs160 daily to go to work, which is difficult for a government employee to spare with Rs25,000 salary, he said.

Mohammad Amin, a private employee, said that Rs40 was being charged from Kaliam village to Kaliam Mor and earlier it was Rs20.

Sajid Malik, a resident of Sihala, said the fare of public transport from Sihala to Katcheri Chowk had been increased to Rs70 instead of Rs50. “I am working naib Qasid and had to travel on daily basis but fare will eat major portion of his salary,” he said.

He said the complaints of the commuters fell on deaf ears of Regional Transport Authority as they did not take any notice.

Meanwhile, All Pakistan Public Transport Owners Federation has decided to increase fares by 20pc in response to the rise in prices of petroleum products and threaten to stop the transport on all routes in protest. It has become impossible for transporters to drive, the federation official said.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022