PESHAWAR, July 29: The city district government on Tuesday increased fares of local public transport by 16.66 per cent, officials and transporters said, adding that the decision would be notified within a couple of days.

Official sources said the fare was increased from Rs6 to Rs7 from stop-to-stop, while the fare from General Bus Stand to the last bus stop of Karkhano Market was revised from Rs12 to Rs14.

The decision was taken in a meeting held here with District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali in the chair. The meeting was also attended by District Coordination Officer Sahibzada Anees Ahmed, SP Traffic Mohammad Jaffer Khan, Provincial Transport Authority secretary Ahmed Jan Afridi and transporters’ leaders Jehangir Afridi and Fayaz Khan.

The official said that raise in fare was must as the transporters were overcharging commuters and unrest among the people was further increasing. The increase of Re1, he said, was better than giving a fee hand to the transporters to loot the people with both hands.

Urban Transport Association president Jehangir Afridi, when contacted told Dawn that the increase of Re1 would not meet transporters expenditures but it would save them from the daily scuffles with the passengers over the unofficial increase in the fare.

He said that the revised fare list should be notified as early as possible.

ENCROACHMENT: Another meeting regarding removal of the encroachment from the busiest routes and bazaars in the city also reviewed the prevailing situation.