RAWALPINDI: The ticketing staff of Rawalpindi- Islamabad metro bus service on Thursday staged a protest and suspended the bus service for an hour on I.J. Principal Road which created problems for commuters.

The employees belonging to a private company held the strike against non-payment of last three months’ salaries.

They gathered on the metro bus track near I.J. Principal Road and stopped the bus service.

Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) has outsourced ticketing, sanitation, operational and security services to private companies.

After the protest, representatives of the PMA and the private company held talks with the employees and assured them that their pays would be paid soon.

“Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) has outsourced the ticketing, sanitation, operation of buses, security to private companies and it is the responsibility of the companies to ensure presence of their staff and operate the bus service without any interruption,” a senior official of PMA told Dawn.

He said payment of salaries to the ticketing staff was the responsibility of the private company - Inbox - which manages the ticketing affairs of the bus service.

“Under the rules, the company has to pay a fine for suspension of the bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad for four hours.

When contacted, Shamila Mohsin, operation manager of PMA, told Dawn that the PMA had already given the payment to the private company and it was the responsibility of the company to pay salaries to its employees.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020