KARACHI: Sindh government is once again considering the suspension of intra-city public transport in the province due to the continuous flouting of the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
In this regard, Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Minister Awais Qadir Shah said that the department had received hundreds of complaints about violations of the defined SOPs for public transport.
The provincial minister further said, “The violators have even been penalised for the offence, but the situation remains still the same.”
“The option of banning public transport is being seriously considered once again and we will take this decision if transporters do not take this warning seriously,” he added.
Commenting on the traffic police, he said that the concerned authorities were not cooperating with the department in the implementation of SOPs. He also made clear that inter-provincial and inter-district transport had not yet been given permission to resume services yet.
Earlier, the Sindh government granted permission for the resumption of intra-city public transport and ride-hailing cities in the province on transporters’ pleas.
As per the SOPs, the number of passengers on vehicles was limited to partial capacity while transporters had also been instructed to keep sanitisers in vehicles.
Furthermore, buses were told only to pick and drop passengers at specific terminals, while buses, terminals and waiting areas were to be cleaned and disinfected.
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