‘Pathetic Public Transport’ Problem Persists in Twin Cities;

People demand a decent transport service

The commuters of twin cities -- Rawalpindi and Islamabad are facing host of transport-related problems especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

The private and government employees are also having great hindrance in reaching their destination in time because there is no proper transport facility on different routes and the public transport routes are limited to some areas.

Besides, there is no proper schedule that public transport follows, if you sit in a van, you can never be sure of reaching your destination in time. People reach their offices late most of the time which causes them to land in troubled waters as they have to face their bosses who are thoroughly ignorant of the mess common people have to go through each day. People are worried and irritated about the high fares of taxis as majority of them is not financially so sound as to afford this expensive transport. Public Resort is their last resort whatsoever.

A female passenger, Rukhsana Bibi told INFN, “The front seat is reserved especially for the females but the drivers of the vehicles make the male passengers sit on that too, leaving no space for us. Moreover, the attitude of the conductors is also very rude and beyond being compromised.”

“The vehicles which are plying on public transport routes are very small in number as compared to the ever-increasing number of commuters. Crowds of people are witnessed waiting on the stops for the vehicles to come. However, after long wait when the vehicle appears, everyone rushes towards it to be transported and the conductors start packing the vehicle with more people than the space permits, while some passengers are standing, leaning and twisting in strange way that is full of dramatic happenings,” said Muhammad Sarfraz, a commuter waiting for a van on Benazir Bhutto Road.

“The old public transport system of VARAN was no less than a blessing but that too was banned which further added to miseries of the commuters. The government is requested to sort out this problem to end the miseries of the common people so that they can spend their lives in a peaceful manner which the basic right of every citizen,” concluded Muhammad Tariq, a commuter and a student of Law.

It is high time that the federal government and the provincial government should join hands to work out a feasible public transport plan for the twin cities and start a decent transportation facility that can make travelling a pleasant experience that does not hurt at least the self-respect of the commuters.