Lack of cab service during peak hours in city areas irk people

Srinagar, Mar 9: Lack of cab service during peak hours in city areas is taking a toll on passengers especially office goers and students as well.

The passengers said that during early morning hours, the cab yards in the city are deserted and they have to toil hard to get a seat.

A delegation of students and office goers told Greater Kashmir that the cabs operating from Lal-Chowk, Exchange Road, and Maisuma are not available during the early morning hours and evening which is taking a toll on them.

“I have to travel from the uptown area to Kashmir University for my regular classes. When we reach Lal Chowk, the cab yards are deserted. There are dozens of passengers including female students waiting and hardly one cab arrives at a time. Then there is a struggle to get seats and many are left stranded,” said Ulfat Fayaz, a student.

The office goers said that they have to reach their respective offices on time and mark their presence. “Employees have to make biometric attendance at most of the government offices. It wastes our day if we don’t reach on time,” said an employee.

The passengers appealed to authorities to ensure that cab operators follow a timetable and ensure availability during peak hours, especially in the morning. Meanwhile, the passengers traveling from Lal Chowk to Hazratbal outskirts said that there is absence of cabs during both morning and evening hours. They said that most of these areas don’t have smart bus service as well and they rely on cabs.

“But unfortunately these cabs operate as per their own will and don’t follow any timetable. We don’t even have a smart bus service to our areas which adds to our woes. Now the holy month of Ramadhan is about to start and we hope that the issue will be addressed so that we don’t face any issues,” said a passenger from Danihama Hazratbal.

RTO Kashmir, Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, said that he will ensure that cab operators follow the timetable so that passengers don’t face any issues.

“We will look into the issue and ensure that passengers don’t face any problem. We will discuss the issue with transporters and address it accordingly,” he said.