Commuters in Karachi reel from unauthorised bus fare hikes

Commuters in Karachi have faced significant challenges due to unauthorized and unilateral increases in bus fares, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. Students, office workers, and domestic workers have been particularly hard hit by the rising costs of transportation. One student, Iqra, noticed a surge in her daily expenses from Rs100 to Rs150 for a round trip.

Similarly, Mai Khairan, an elderly woman, reported an increase from Rs60 to Rs90. Salma, a domestic helper earning Rs20,000, now spends Rs250 daily on travel, a sharp rise from Rs150. Female students from Baldia Town to KDA Chowrangi, who previously spent Rs60 on bus fare, are now paying Rs80. Bus drivers and operators complain of being on the verge of collapse due to escalating fuel prices, which have reached Rs390 per litre for petrol and Rs400 per litre for diesel.

Despite a 2026 Sindh Regional Transport Authority notification setting fares at Rs40-Rs50 for up to 10km, Rs70-Rs80 for 30km, and Rs110-Rs120 for longer routes, transport operators have been charging fares at their discretion, a violation of the notification. The government has not officially sanctioned these fare hikes. Commuters have expressed relief that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Green and Orange Lines, as well as the Peoples Red Bus Service, have not seen fare increases.

However, the shortage of Red Buses has become a concern. Transport drivers like Shakeel, who operates a minibus between Sohrab Goth and Cantonment Railway Station, lament the destruction of their livelihoods as diesel prices have decimated their earnings. Transporters' woes have prompted calls for government intervention to control the crisis, but KTI President Haji Tawab Khan denies any official fare hike, attributing the fare increases to soaring fuel costs and the conversion of buses to trucks by some operators.