ISLAMABAD:The introduction of metro buses on different routes has brought much relief to the commuters of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, but still, the daily travelers continue to face the rude behaviour and attitude of drivers and conductors of public vans on those routes not traversed by the metro buses.
Several commuters, including the elderly, pointed out that the majority of drivers and conductors of public transport, including vans, who are plying vehicles on the Islamabad Expressway and highway, were particularly impolite and indecent with the passengers.
Frequent altercations took place daily due to unfair charging and self-inflated fares, particularly after the significant reduction in petroleum products, Muhammad Zareen Bacha, an employee of a private firm in Blue Area, told reporter on Sunday.
He particularly mentioned public van No 136 and said that the majority of conductors seemed to be illiterate and did not produce fare lists whenever asked to by the travellers as they often c
harged them extra.
Similar were the views of Ayesha Jabeen, a housewife, as she lamented the proper checks on the rude behaviour and conditions of public vans where extra passengers were forced to board without considering the seats allocated for women’s commuters.
Moreover, it was also observed that different vans had installed CNG cylinders and extracting fares equivalent to those fixed for the usage of petrol and diesel.
Zubair Talha, a NUML university student, says that he travels from Police Foundation to H-9 daily and noted that these vans had installed CNG kits but never witnessed any relevant authority check the safety of these kits or the fares charged by the van owners.
They also prolong their stay at different stops and waste precious time, he says with a peevish look. The commuters demanded that drivers of the vans be made to display the fare list and that random checks be conducted by the relevant transport authorities and traffic police to ensure torment-free travel on these routes.