Passengers disappointed as transport fares remain unchanged despite fuel price cut

WEB DESK: Passengers travelling on intercity bus routes expressed disappointment on Saturday after transport fares remained unchanged despite the federal government’s announcement of a significant reduction in petrol and diesel prices. Transporters have announced that the revised fares will come into effect from tomorrow.

The government recently reduced the price of petrol by Rs74 per litre and diesel by Rs67 per litre. Under the revised rates, the new petrol price is Rs299.50 per litre, while high-speed diesel is available at Rs311.47 per litre.

Many passengers had expected an immediate reduction in transport fares following the decrease in fuel prices. However, transport operators continued charging existing fares, leaving travelers frustrated over the lack of instant relief. According to transporters, the new fares were not applied immediately because vehicles departing in the morning were operating on diesel purchased the previous night at the old rates.

Transport operators said fare reductions ranging from Rs500 to Rs1,000 are expected on several major routes. According to the proposed revisions, the fare for the Karachi-Peshawar route is expected to decrease from Rs9,000 to Rs8,000, while fares on the Rawalpindi-Karachi route are likely to be reduced from Rs7,000 to Rs6,500. Similarly, fares on the Karachi-Lahore route are expected to be lowered to Rs6,000.

Despite these assurances, many passengers expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that they had not yet benefited from the reduction in fuel prices.