RAWALPINDI: After a week, Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) has decided to resume the metro bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad from Wednesday (today).

PMTA Rawalpindi-Islamabad Manager (Operations) Shamila Mohsin confirmed to Dawn that the bus service between Saddar (Rawalpindi) and Pakistan Secretariat will start on Wednesday. The service from Saddar to Faizabad was closed on March 31 due to the third wave of Covid-19 and continued from I.J. Principal Road to Pakistan Secretariat.

However, the service was completely suspended on April 12 due to the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)’s protests in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad when its activists entered the bus stations.

“We will start the bus service on the advice of the local administration as the bus depot was in custody of Islamabad and Rawalpindi administrations and it was sealed,” said Ms Mohsin, adding PMTA was suffering as it had no longer been getting income generated from passengers.

“Daily, Rs2 million has been lost due to this closure,” she said, adding 100,000 passengers travelled between Rawalpindi and Islamabad everyday. She said Metro also faced loss in other expenditures like electricity, due to closure of the bus service.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2021