The buses running in the city are in bad shape and 900 more are required to meet the transportation needs of the masses:
By Sajid Bashir:
Despite the decrease in fuel prices the private franchised bus companies and wagons are still overcharging the passengers and do not agree to reduce their fares. Not even a single initiative has been taken by the government to bring down the fares and pass on the benefit of decrease in fuel prices, to the passengers.
A survey conducted by The News on Sunday finds that majority of the franchised bus companies are overcharging the commuters after the reduction in fuel prices. The stop by stop fare has gone down by Rs. 2 while there is little difference in the rest of the fares, it has been observed.
According to Punjab Transport Department the number of franchised buses running on city roads is 734 which does not meet the requirement of passengers. The department officials say that as many as 900 more buses are required to fulfill the transportation needs of Lahorites.
On the other hand some franchised buses running on the city roads have serious mechanical problems like malfunctioning of brakes which can cause accidents anytime. The bodies of these buses are mostly in rundown condition which pose discomfort to the passengers traveling in them.
The fittings in the buses are also broken. The commuters complain that hardly any franchised bus has complete body structure and components such as indicators, doors, seats and passenger support bars. Handles and windows are usually broken. Complaints like cracked windscreens, headlights, lights at the back and crack in the seats have been received. Most of the windows are immovable which cause suffocation and in times of emergency, great distress to the passengers who are transported like sheep and cattle in these public buses because buses are less than required and the commuters don't have a choice.
The franchised bus companies are not paying attention towards maintenance of buses. The government provides a handsome subsidy to the transport companies for the sake of safe and efficient public transport system but they do not maintain their buses despite getting subsidy on every bus. Traveling in buses in Lahore is still an unpleasant experience, not that one would choose.
Even a commonman can easily see that many of them have serious mechanical faults like smoky engines, unfit brakes, leaking oil etc. Majority of the buses are without tail lights and indicators while where lights are there, they don't work at all. Some of the buses are even without headlights and can cause serious accidents anytime.
One wonders how and why the transport department issues and renews fitness certificates to such kind of buses against the standing rules and regulations. These fitness certificates have to be renewed after every six months by the transport department officials and traffic police after proper inspection of the public transport vehicles.
Most of the buses have broken doors which cause injuries and pose hazards to the passengers, particularly students, who stand next to doors. According to the rules every passenger bus must have an emergency door to provide exit route to passengers in case of fire or accidents but they simply don't work. Similarly fire extinguishers are also totally missing in the passenger buses.
While talking to TNS, Usman Hameed, a doctor said that the amount of smoke the public buses and wagons are emitting on the city roads is the major cause of increasing environmental pollution in the city causing serious diseases to the citizens such as Asthma, flu, irritation of eyes and some kind of skin throat disease. He said Punjab transport department should take strict measures to resolve these problems.
Many students are seen traveling on the roof of the buses because of shortage of buses. Besides private school students complained that they have no departmental cards due to which they do not get discount. The transport department should provide them passes so that they can also avail the much needed discount that other students enjoy, they said.
When contacted, Additional Secretary Punjab Transport Department Izhar Ahmad said that Punjab government wants to launch new additional buses but the operators do not agree to that. They demand removal of illegal routes from the city, first.
As many as 170,000 motorcycle rickshaws are present in the city on different routes. Bus operators further demand shifting of these motorcycle rickshaws from the city. Izhar Ahmad said that a summary is in process in which the department has asked SSP Traffic to give the transport department 210 traffic wardens to remove the illegal routes in the city.
About fares, he said, "We increased the fare only when the diesel price went up but we did not increase it when the diesel price went up the second time. Therefore, we only reduced our fares by two rupees that is according to the percentage of current diesel price. We are holding meetings with bus operators and soon the new fare would be launched in the city."
A survey conducted by The News on Sunday finds that majority of the franchised bus companies are overcharging the commuters after the reduction in fuel prices. The stop by stop fare has gone down by Rs. 2 while there is little difference in the rest of the fares, it has been observed.
According to Punjab Transport Department the number of franchised buses running on city roads is 734 which does not meet the requirement of passengers. The department officials say that as many as 900 more buses are required to fulfill the transportation needs of Lahorites.
On the other hand some franchised buses running on the city roads have serious mechanical problems like malfunctioning of brakes which can cause accidents anytime. The bodies of these buses are mostly in rundown condition which pose discomfort to the passengers traveling in them.
The fittings in the buses are also broken. The commuters complain that hardly any franchised bus has complete body structure and components such as indicators, doors, seats and passenger support bars. Handles and windows are usually broken. Complaints like cracked windscreens, headlights, lights at the back and crack in the seats have been received. Most of the windows are immovable which cause suffocation and in times of emergency, great distress to the passengers who are transported like sheep and cattle in these public buses because buses are less than required and the commuters don't have a choice.
The franchised bus companies are not paying attention towards maintenance of buses. The government provides a handsome subsidy to the transport companies for the sake of safe and efficient public transport system but they do not maintain their buses despite getting subsidy on every bus. Traveling in buses in Lahore is still an unpleasant experience, not that one would choose.
Even a commonman can easily see that many of them have serious mechanical faults like smoky engines, unfit brakes, leaking oil etc. Majority of the buses are without tail lights and indicators while where lights are there, they don't work at all. Some of the buses are even without headlights and can cause serious accidents anytime.
One wonders how and why the transport department issues and renews fitness certificates to such kind of buses against the standing rules and regulations. These fitness certificates have to be renewed after every six months by the transport department officials and traffic police after proper inspection of the public transport vehicles.
Most of the buses have broken doors which cause injuries and pose hazards to the passengers, particularly students, who stand next to doors. According to the rules every passenger bus must have an emergency door to provide exit route to passengers in case of fire or accidents but they simply don't work. Similarly fire extinguishers are also totally missing in the passenger buses.
While talking to TNS, Usman Hameed, a doctor said that the amount of smoke the public buses and wagons are emitting on the city roads is the major cause of increasing environmental pollution in the city causing serious diseases to the citizens such as Asthma, flu, irritation of eyes and some kind of skin throat disease. He said Punjab transport department should take strict measures to resolve these problems.
Many students are seen traveling on the roof of the buses because of shortage of buses. Besides private school students complained that they have no departmental cards due to which they do not get discount. The transport department should provide them passes so that they can also avail the much needed discount that other students enjoy, they said.
When contacted, Additional Secretary Punjab Transport Department Izhar Ahmad said that Punjab government wants to launch new additional buses but the operators do not agree to that. They demand removal of illegal routes from the city, first.
As many as 170,000 motorcycle rickshaws are present in the city on different routes. Bus operators further demand shifting of these motorcycle rickshaws from the city. Izhar Ahmad said that a summary is in process in which the department has asked SSP Traffic to give the transport department 210 traffic wardens to remove the illegal routes in the city.
About fares, he said, "We increased the fare only when the diesel price went up but we did not increase it when the diesel price went up the second time. Therefore, we only reduced our fares by two rupees that is according to the percentage of current diesel price. We are holding meetings with bus operators and soon the new fare would be launched in the city."
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