RAWALPINDI: Once the Metro Bus Service gets going, all other public transport will be barred from Murree Road.
This is decision the Rawalpindi Transport Authority (RTA) has conveyed to public transporters. They have been told that they will be allotted new routes for their buses, wagons and Suzuki vans that carry commuters within Rawalpindi and to Islamabad via the Murree Road.
Naturally, public transporters are alarmed at the prospect of losing their current, lucrative routes. A senior official of the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR), however, defended the decision. “If the RTA lets the public transport vehicles run on Murree Road, short distance passengers will use them rather than the Metro bus. That would leave the metro buses running almost empty within Rawalpindi city, except for the Islamabad-bound passengers in them,” he said.
“The government wants the Metro Bus to be seen as a big success and not the butt of criticism after spending billions of rupees on the project,” he said.
Internews
