KARACHI: Deteriorating road conditions across the city have begun affecting public transport operations, forcing the Peoples Bus Service to shorten one of its major routes by approximately three kilometres.
According to details, changes have been made to Route R-3, which previously operated between Power House Chowrangi and Nasir Jump. Under the revised arrangement, buses will now turn back from Shan Chowrangi instead of continuing to their previous destination at Nasir Jump.
The service administration said that repeatedly operating buses on damaged and poorly maintained roads had caused technical and mechanical problems, increasing maintenance and repair requirements.
According to the Peoples Bus Service administration, the buses are not designed to operate on severely damaged and uneven roads. It added that the relevant authorities had been approached several times with requests to repair and improve the affected roads. However, the lack of substantial progress had left the administration with little choice but to restrict the route.
The administration has also warned that if road conditions across Karachi are not improved, further restrictions may have to be imposed on other bus routes to prevent additional damage to the fleet.
The revised route is expected to cause inconvenience to commuters travelling to and from the affected areas, who may now have to rely on alternative transport arrangements to reach their destinations.
The development has once again highlighted concerns over Karachi’s deteriorating road infrastructure and its impact on public transport services, with calls growing for urgent road repairs and uninterrupted transportation facilities for residents.
