KARACHI, Dec 26: The operators of new large buses are fleecing the people by fixing fares at their whim owing to non- existence of a proper mechanism for regulating fares for large buses.

There are two umbrellas —the Karachi Public Transport Society and the Urban Transport Scheme of city government— under which large size buses are being operated in the city. However, the authorities concerned are yet to come up with a concrete and proper policy to regulate fares of these buses. It is observed that the list of fares displayed in the large size buses do not carry the signature of any competent authority.

According to an official of the KPTS, bus operators fix and revise their fares without approaching the concerned departments. In this regard, he referred to the recent revision of bus fares by the Scania Bus Service.

He said that the Scania Bus Service was charging the revised rates based on the division of their routes in

different zones, which were allegedly violating the rates approved by the governing body of KPTS.

“New rates are being revised without the approval of 27 member governing body of KPTS, which includes people from different walks of life,” he added.

Under the Urban Transport Scheme, the bus operators are doing the same, as they have fixed their fares under the “controlled deregulate policy”, but the authorities concerned seemed least bothered to direct these operators in the very regard.

Recently, new non-air conditioned large buses have been inducted under the UTS, which are charging a maximum of Rs15 and minimum of Rs5 by fixing the fares at their own.

People were being burdened with heavy fares and it seemed as if these schemes were benefiting the bus operators instead of providing relief to common man, the official remarked.

The official concerned in city government, when contacted, acknowledged that the fares of large buses were fixed and revised under the controlled deregulate policy that allowed them to revise their fares under some specified limits.

However, he said that huge investment was involved in bringing these buses on roads and as such the fares of these large buses could not be equal to the fares of other buses, minibuses and coaches.

“Another reason for high fares is the non-payment of subsidy, promised to them at the time of launching UTS, which is making it impossible to reduce the fares,” he said. Despite the instructions of some government high ups, both provincial and city governments have yet to pay their share of subsidy. —PPI