KARACHI: “I came to the train station to book tickets first but after being told that all trains were completely booked, I had no choice but to cross the road and come here to try my luck at bus stations,” says Mohammad Yaqub at a bus station near the Cantonment Railway Station.

He was not the only one looking to find a seat in one of the buses. There were hoards of other travellers there too, all going up-country to spend Eid with their families.

This was the case at all bus stations around the city, and this despite bus fares being slightly higher than train fares. “Well, yes I am paying Rs400 to get to Hyderabad by bus. The train ticket was Rs380. But train travel falls out of the question when there just isn’t a seat available,” says another traveller waiting at the bus station near Empress Market.

A small bus or mini wagon as it’s called, is also loading peoples’ luggage on its roof carrier as the people get inside. They are all trying to fit into small spaces but don’t seem to have an issue with that. “What other vehicle will get us to Nawabshah in less than four hours?” says Ms Waleed, who is travelling with her two daughters. “I know that intercity bus travel is expensive. And these wagons even charge Rs50 more than a coach. But that’s fine as long as we reach our destination more quickly,” she adds.

“Sehwan, where I am headed, has a nice train station too but I opted for the intercity coach service because I will reach in just three and a half hours as compared to travelling by train which makes so many stops at every other station or junction. The last time I travelled by train to Sehwan it took me more than six hours,” says Ghulam Ali, who works in Karachi as a reader at the Sessions Court.

But all were not so accepting of the expensive bus fares. “These transporters are well aware of our urgency to get home for Eid. And they take advantage of that. The fares are very high. And where trains have facilities such as spacious seating and room to spread the legs, there is no such luxury in buses. And most importantly, trains have bathrooms and dining cars,” says one unhappy bus traveller, who said he worked as a gardener in Karachi. But his entire family lived in Multan and he wanted to see them during Eid.

“The trains may be few and overbooked but you can always catch a bus for intercity travel as there is one leaving from every bus terminal or station after every half hour,” says a ticket seller at the Geo Faran Transport window. “Unlike the passenger trains, where you pay extra for air-conditioned compartments too, all the buses are always air-conditioned. And passenger comfort really matters while travelling,” he reminds.

“We are accused of being too expensive but look at the fuel prices. We know that most people travelling by bus are hardworking people who are in the big city for jobs but just recently there was another increase in petrol and diesel prices. We can’t run buses on a loss, can we?” he questions.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2019