THE citizens of Faisalabad are facing many difficulties for want of adequate public transport. All vehicles are overloaded with passengers many of whom travel on foot-rests or on the rooftops of buses at the risk of their lives.
Many commuters travel by holding on to the metallic stairs installed at the rear of the buses.
The extraordinary pressure of an ever-increasing population and neglect of transportation by planners are mainly to blame for the problem. Government vehicles plying on roads are sent back to depots in a deplorable condition. Scarcity of funds to induct new vehicles and repair those out of order has made matters worse. Students, daily wage earners, industrial and commercial workers and government employees are facing great difficulties in reaching their destination because of shortage of wagons with the Faisalabad Urban Transport Service. It is alleged that every transporter pays a fixed amount to the police every month for over-stuffing the passenger vehicles.