TAXILA: Commuters on the Attock-Rawalpindi route continued to suffer on Wednesday as the public transport strike entered its second consecutive day, with students, employees, women and daily travellers facing severe inconvenience.
The continuing standoff between transporters and authorities has effectively left thousands of passengers at the mercy of limited alternative transport, forcing many to wait for hours in the scorching heat or pay significantly higher fares for whatever private transport was available.
The strike was triggered after traffic police intensified enforcement of restrictions on the use of LPG cylinders in public service vehicles. While authorities cite passenger safety and regulatory compliance, commuters said they were being made to pay the price for a dispute they had no role in creating.
Women and elderly passengers were particularly distressed by the prolonged waiting and lack of adequate alternative transport.
With the strike entering its second day, commuters warned that continued suspension of services would further disrupt education, employment and essential travel for thousands of people dependent on the Attock-Rawalpindi public transport network.
Daily visitors to Rawalpindi also expressed frustration over having to spend additional money and time to complete routine journeys.
“This is our second day of suffering. We have to reach our workplaces and educational institutions every morning, but there is no reliable transport,” said Faizan Ahmed, an employee of a private company.
Students complained that the disruption was affecting their attendance and studies, while employees travelling regularly to Rawalpindi said they faced the prospect of arriving late at work or losing a day’s wages.
“We cannot afford taxis and hired transport every day. The authorities should resolve the issue instead of leaving ordinary passengers stranded,” said a student at an Islamabad-based university.
Passengers acknowledged the importance of enforcing safety regulations but urged the authorities to adopt a workable solution that ensures both passenger safety and uninterrupted public transport. They demanded that the district administration immediately bring transporters and traffic authorities to the negotiating table and end the deadlock.
Commenting on the issue, transporters said that with CNG stations closed and petrol prices at their highest level in the decade, it was not affordable for them to run public transport.
They said passenger vehicles had no option but to operate on LPG and questioned how they could bring their vehicles onto the roads if they were impounded.
When contacted, Zaheer Ahmed, secretary of the Regional Transport Authority, said the crackdown on passenger vehicles operating on LPG was carried out on the instructions of the provincial government and around 20 vehicles operating on various inter-district routes had been impounded for legal action.
He said the authorities would not bow to the pressure tactics of the transport mafia.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2026