Pakistan travel costs for getting about by road were nearly eight percent lower in September than in May, according to a Mobility Index built by Pakistan & Counting with ride operator BusCaro. The gauge tracks what each kilometre costs across eight ways of moving: petrol bikes and cars people own, privately hired rickshaws, ordinary public seats, shared rides, and app-hailed bikes, rickshaws and cars.
Index reading and fuel prices
From a May baseline of 100, the reading slipped to 92.1 in September. That is the 7.9 percent easing in overall mobility expense. For a typical vehicle, one kilometre averaged Rs9.65 in September, against Rs10.48 in May.
Softer petrol did most of the work. Pump prices averaged Rs374.61 a litre in September — roughly 7.5 percent under May’s Rs405.19. The higher May level was linked to an energy-price jump during Middle East fighting and the supply-chain strain that followed.
Bike, car and rickshaw outlays
On a Honda CD70, fuel for one kilometre ran Rs6.81 in September after Rs7.37 in May — a saving of Rs0.56 on every kilometre ridden. Petrol cars cost Rs24.78 a kilometre, down Rs2.02 from Rs26.80. Privately run rickshaws eased Rs0.95 a kilometre, from Rs12.66 to Rs11.71.
Why public transport looked different
City buses and similar modes did not follow the same path, even though ticket prices themselves did not climb. Punjab kept all four of its bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors — city bus lanes with dedicated stops — free of charge from the start of April through 12 June. Because of that window, the May snapshot recorded no fare on those lines, which pulls the public-transport slice of the index away from private modes.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Early April: Punjab starts free rides on all four BRT corridors
- May: Mobility Index baseline set at 100; petrol averages Rs405.19 a litre; typical road kilometre costs Rs10.48
- 12 June: Free travel on Punjab’s four BRT corridors ends
- September: Index at 92.1; petrol averages Rs374.61 a litre; typical kilometre costs Rs9.65
Aasan alfaaz mein
May se September tak road pe chalna thora sasta pada. Petrol sasta hone se ek kilometre ka kharcha gira. CD70, car aur private rickshaw sab pe per-kilometre cost kam hui. Punjab ki BRT kuch der muft thi, is liye public transport ka number alag dikhta hai.
