KARACHI: Public tran­s­port largely remained off the city roads on Thursday as transport operators obs­e­rved a citywide wheel-jam strike against electronic traffic challans, “heavy fines and other regulatory measures.”

They also announced that the suspension of services would continue on Friday after talks with the government representatives ended without a breakthrough.

The strike had a significant impact on daily commuters across the metropolis, as a large number of residents struggled to reach offices, factories, educational institutions and other destinations. Bus stops across the city witnessed long queues of passengers waiting for transport that never arrived, while many were forced to rely on ride-hailing services, private vehicles or alternative arra­ngements.

The strike remained lar­g­ely effective throughout the day, with only a limited num­ber of vehicles seen on major arteries. Key arteries, including Sharea Fai­sal, M.A. Jinnah Road, Uni­v­ersity Road, Korangi Ro­ad, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrah-i-Pakistan and I.I. Chundrigar Road, reported significantly fe­wer buses, mi­n­i­buses and coaches than on a normal working day.

The strike was called by the Karachi Transport Ittehad primarily over concerns regarding the e-challan system, which transporters say has resulted in excessive financial penalties. Other issues raised by transport operators include alleged duplication of penalties through both electronic and manual challans, delays in promised government subsidies, vehicle fitness and permit procedures, insurance-related requirements, and concerns regarding biometric verification processes.

The operations of government-run People’s Bus Service and BRT Green Li­ne, however, remained unaffected. Similarly, the ride-hailing services, along with rickshaws and Qingqis, were also operating as usual.

According to transport representatives, nearly 8,000 buses, minibuses and coaches that normally operate in Karachi remained off the roads.

“Negotiations with the provincial government have failed to produce any positive outcome, leading transporters to continue their protest,” said Karachi Transport Ittehad President Haji Tawab Khan. “The transport operators have repeatedly raised concerns with various government departments but received little relief. The current e-challan mechanism has led to fines that, in some cases, exceed the actual earnings of transport operators.”

He said that transporters had earlier been assured that manual challans would be discontinued once the electronic system was introduced but drivers were still reportedly receiving manual penalties in addition to e-challans.

Khan also claimed that transporters had not received the subsidy promised by the provincial government in return for refraining from increasing fares despite rising fuel costs. He also alleged that vehicles parked at depots were being issued penalties, including fines for speeding and other violations, ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs100,000.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2026