Due to the current increase in fuel prices, around 100,000 individuals who used to travel via their own vehicles to many of the cities inside the country have now shifted to the services of metro trains, metrobuses, and feeder bus services in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.
As the number of these kinds of passengers who have shifted their mode of transportation to other private or public sector intra-city bus/van services is known to be independent, people who are depending on their own vehicles to commute outside of cities like Lahore have also shifted to inter-city bus services, whereas the people who are currently using these modes of transportation have rapidly lowered their travel because of the heavy amount of fare hike, according to Dawn’s records.
“We have observed an increase of nearly 75,000 individuals per day on our intra-city transportation systems—Orange Line Metro Train (Ali Town-Dera Gujran), metrobus (Shahdara-Gajjumata), and Speedo buses, which are travelling on feeder routes in Lahore—while examining the raito of passengers.”
According to a senior official with the Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA), around 20,000 people have also shifted to the metrobus system in Rawalpindi. “In Multan, the metrobus system has gone through an increase of around 7,000 passengers,” he stated, showing that individuals are rapidly shifting to public transportation from their own vehicles in Multan.
It has to be observed keenly that the Punjab Masstransit Authority has approved the imposition of distance-based tariffs for the people who use the Orange Line Metro Train in Lahore instead of a flat cost (subsidised fare of Rs40) already.
In the time of PTI’s government, the government built a new way to deal with increasing prices of electricity. The new administration (of the PML-N) has asked to select and finalise the earlier project by the mass transit authority. “A report has been written to the Punjab Cabinet, pleading with the organisation to switch the flat Rs40 per individual price with a distance-based fare.”
For travelling on the Orange Line Metro Train, the minimum recommended amount of fare is Rs 20. For travelling on the Orange Line Metro Train, the minimum amount of fare planned is Rs 20.
The spokesman stated that the metro and Speedo bus fares (Rs 30 and Rs 15) would remain unchanged until further orders were issued.
On the other hand, a small number of passengers who used to travel by car have now shifted to intra-city public transportation to get to their offices or places of employment.
People who use intercity public transportation more frequently have already cut back on their travel due to a large increase in fares.
