PESHAWAR, April 15: The local wagon owners’ union has unilaterally increased their fare without the approval of the City District Government Peshawar, transporters and commuters say.

They said that wagons running between the General Bus Stand and Karkhano market increased their fare in the absence of any increase in petroleum prices for the past couple of months.

The City District Government, the regulator, had increased local transport fare on the same day when the federal government had reduced the prices of petroleum a few months ago.

According to the revised tariff schedule, the fare of per single stop had been increased from Rs4 to Rs5, while from General Bus Stand to Karkhano market, fare was set at Rs10.

The revised fare schedule was applicable to all local transport services plying on different routes, subsequently the wagon owners also increased their per stop fare from Rs4 to Rs5.

The union of wagon owners, according to commuters, has now again increased the fares of various stops without the approval of the government.

A regular commuter said that though the wagon owners did not changed the per stop fare, they have made increase on multiple stops.

For instance, he explained if a person had been paying Rs6 for traveling from General Bus Stand to Defense Colony stop, now he has to pay Rs7 for such distance.

Similarly, fare from General Bus Stand to Karkhano market has also been raised from Rs10 to Rs12, he informed.

Besides overcharging passengers, transporters also do not allow fare concession to students and senior citizens.

“Whenever, government revises the fare schedule, owners of wagon service are always the first to increase the fares, but at the same time they deprive students and senior citizens from due concession offered in the same schedule,” said a Peshawar University student.

Criticising transporters for openly violating rules and regulations, he said that no one was ready to take action against them.

Transporters justified their action saying they had not been allowed fare hikes during the past couple of years despite phenomenal increase in petroleum prices.

Regular commuters, mainly students and people working in offices and factories, have urged local authorities to ensure implementation of the government’s fare schedule.