The federal government has decided to provide major relief to Pakistanis by announcing a reduction in the prices of air and train tickets. The notification for lowering fares will be issued tomorrow.
According to the details, Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique has announced to lower fares of trains’ economy class and domestic flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights by 10 percent.
The decision comes in light of the latest reduction in petroleum prices. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the price of petrol was being cut by Rs18.50 and diesel by Rs40.54. The premier also said that the benefit of any further decline in global oil price will also be passed to the public.
Read more: Reduction in petroleum prices: public relief or a tactic?
As a result, the government has decided to lower the prices of trains and PIA fares which will come into effect tonight and will remain in force for 30 days.
“After the reduction in the prices of petroleum products, Pakistan Railways has announced a 10 percent discount on the fares on all domestic flights in economy class and PIA. Insha Allah, the implementation will start after twelve o’clock tonight,” Khawaja Saad Rafique said.
پٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں کمی کے بعد پاکستان ریلویز کی اکانومی کلاس اور پی آٸ اے کی اندرون ملک تمام پروازوں پر کرایوں میں 10 فی صد رعایت کا اعلان
انشا اللّٰہ آج رات بارہ بجے کے بعد عملدرآمد شروع ھو جائیگا pic.twitter.com/qzt2foOvmR
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) July 16, 2022
High travel fares
Last month, travel costs increased significantly when Pakistan Railways announced a 15 percent hike in prices due to the rising fuel prices. Train fares increased by 10 percent for passengers and 15 percent for cargo. Multiple national and international airlines also jacked up fares for passengers by up to 40 percent.
This was concerning for the public because as many as 94 percent of people travel on railways and 90 percent of passengers in PIA travel in economy class. As a result, commuting became a major inconvenience for the public.
Read more: Pakistanis’ income increased by 69 percent
Furthermore, the government also considered collecting a double toll tax on motorways used by single-driver cars to mitigate the energy crisis and the impact of higher fuel prices.
