LAHORE, March 2: Criticizing a continuous increase in diesel price, the Pakistan Motor Transport Federation has demanded an immediate raise in bus fare and end to excesses against transporters.

They have threatened to suspend bus service in Punjab for a day during the next week if their demands are not met. Federation vice-president Haji Naseer Ahmed Butt said in a statement here on Wednesday that diesel price had been increased five times since May 1 last year. He said the government had not allowed fare increase despite a raise of Rs4.19 per litre in price.

The provincial government had only been promising to raise fare after increase in diesel price. It promised to raise fare by paisa four per kilometre after Eidul Azha, but it had failed to do so todate.

He said that transporters in Punjab were left with no option but to suspend bus service because fare was paisa five per kilometre lower than in Sindh. Bus fare in Punjab had been fixed at paisa 37 per kilometre against paisa 42 per kilometre in Sindh.

Transporters were finding it difficult to continue the operation of buses as they were required to pay income tax, token tax, sales tax, value tax, professional tax, bus stand fees and toll on bridges and bypasses in addition to increase in diesel price.

The traffic police had imposed fines exceeding Rs450 million on transporters last year in addition. He said that transporters were not only burdened by heavy operational costs and fines but were also worried about the safety of their buses and passengers on highways.

At least four drivers had been murdered in 40 armed robberies on highways during 2003 and five drivers, two gunmen and as many passengers had lost their lives in 64 armed robberies in 2004. Bus passengers had been deprived of valuables worth Rs6 million during January this year alone.

The government, he said, should devise a system to review bus fare along with fortnightly changes in POL prices because transporters could not afford to wait for fare revisions for months.

General bus stands in different districts and towns should be categorized for fixing charges payable by transporters plying their buses from there. Highways should also be made for travel-friendly and number of taxes payable by transporters reduced to the minimum, he said.