The government’s Metro Bus fare policy in Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad has backfired as there has been a drastic decrease in number of passengers, claimed a report in The News.
According to the report, the Punjab Metro Bus Authority recently increased the bus fare from Rs20 to Rs30 and as a result the number of commuters on Lahore Metro Bus has decreased up to 20,000 per day while 10,000 to 20,000 passengers have stopped commuting on the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus.
“We were expecting an annual increase of Rs800 million in the revenue of Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) by increasing Bus fare from Rs20 to Rs30 in the two metropolitan cities. However, it is quite surprising that the number of passengers have decreased up to 20,000 in Lahore and 10,000 to 20,000 in Rawalpindi-Islamabad on a daily basis,” an officer of PMTA was quoted as saying in the report.
According to the report, the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus operation is facing difficulties as majority of the escalators and lifts installed in bus stations are not functional. The report further states that at least Rs200 million is required for annual maintenance, but the budget is not available to the PMTA.
Courtesy: Pakistan Today Newspaper