However, a large number of citizens opted to use private online cabs and unregistered bike services during Eid. It was observed that public transport was nearly nonexistent during the holiday, with taxi drivers making the most of passengers’ lack of alternatives.
On Eid day, there was almost no public transport between the twin cities or within the city, causing significant difficulties for people traveling to visit their relatives. Taking advantage of this, taxi drivers charged exorbitant fares for even short distances. As a result, many citizens turned to private cab services and online bike services as alternatives.
Rawalpindi’s Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Beenish Fatima warned that strict legal action would be taken against drivers operating unregistered bikes and that registered firms’ drivers have been issued guidelines to ensure proper regulation.
She added that to enhance safety, individuals riding bikes with green helmets would be provided with special codes, uniforms, and stickers to ensure that bike riders could be easily identified.
Citizens Khawar Rashid and Abdullah Qadir urged the federal and Punjab governments to make the registration process for unregistered bike services more effective.