Islamabad and Rawalpindi have undergone a visible transformation over the years as the roads have widened, underpasses emerged, and flyovers now cut across busy junctions. But the reality for thousands of daily commuters is that despite the new roads, the rides remain old, unreliable, and unsafe.

In Rawalpindi’s densely-populated neighbourhoods, vans operate without any real oversight. There are no marked stops, no fixed schedules, and often, no regard for safety. Many vehicles are decades old, poorly maintained, and routinely overfilled. On various van stops across the twin cities, including Chungi No 22, Khanna Pul, Pirwadhai, Bhara Kahu, commuters gather daily in scenes that have remained unchanged for decades. Among them are students holding books, women balancing grocery bags, and daily wagers wiping sweat from their brows as they wait. Their eyes scan the road for decades old Suzuki vans or Hiace vans that may or may not have space.

Functioning besides this unorganised system is the Metro Bus, a more structured system which runs from Saddar to Pak Secretariat. It was launched as a modern public transport solution. Clean, affordable, and air-conditioned, it does serve those lucky enough to live or work near its route. But for most residents, especially those in inner Rawalpindi, surrounding suburbs, and disconnected Islamabad sectors, the Metro is just a parallel promise. The aging vans remain their only ride.

Islamabad, though better planned, suffers from a different problem lack of connectivity. Entire residential areas, educational zones, and medical facilities lie far from the Metro route, and no feeder network exists to bridge that gap.

Zoha Fatima, a working woman in her mid-30s, calls her daily commute a “test of nerves.” She relies on local vans to reach her office and explains how unpredictable her travel has become.

“Some days the vans don’t come at all in the wee hours at my stop as drives don’t often bother to complete their routes, and then the only choice is to book a ride-hailing app which costs almost half my daily wage,” she said.

Salma Kanwal, a university student, faces her own share of frustrations. “I have to change two vans to get to class often unable to make it to first lecture. And it’s not just the delay. Vans are packed, and many drivers don’t bother stopping when they see female passengers waiting,” she says.

For women, commuting isn’t just inconvenient, it’s a daily risk. Commuting after sunset is another challenge. For women working night shifts, students attending evening classes, or anyone needing transport to a hospital after hours, options are few and far between.

Ride-hailing apps, though convenient, have grown increasingly unaffordable for the average commuter due to rising fuel prices and variable fares.

“There are underpasses and signal-free corridors,” says Mohammad Faizan, a schoolteacher who uses vans daily. “But all of that is built for cars. For someone like me, nothing has changed. I still spend 40 minutes waiting in the heat, squeezing into a van sometimes with no seat left and paying full fare. Where’s the progress for us?”He adds, “People like me don’t need more roads we need a system. A reliable, affordable and safe way to get from home to work and that’s not too much to ask.”

The Metro Bus, while an important step, remains confined to a single corridor. It lacks the surrounding infrastructure, feeder buses, and alternate routes that would make it a genuine game-changer. The rest of the city still runs on informal, unregulated van networks. These operate more out of habit than design, often changing routes, skipping stops, or vanishing altogether.

There is little or no coordination at all between the needs of the growing population and the planning of transport systems. As the cities expand outward, especially in newer housing societies and rural-urban fringes, the distance to public transport options grows wider, not shorter.

Experts agree that urban development has been too focused on roads, bridges, and car flow, while ignoring the human side of transport.

“Transport should move people, not just vehicles,” says Fareeha, a lecturer.

“We need buses that actually reach people where they live, with fixed stops, timetables, and accountability. Right now, everything is either for cars or for show.”

In a metro area now home to millions of people, the lack of a comprehensive, inclusive and regulated public transport system is more than a planning failure it’s a policy void. A functional city must be navigable not just for car owners, but for everyone.

Until empathy enters the design and commuters are put at the center of transport policy, the twin cities will continue to move on a divided track - sleek infrastructure above, and crumbling commutes below.

(The writer is a freelance journalist)

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025