School van and private transport operators in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have raised monthly fares by as much as 40 percent after the recent petrol price surge tied to Middle East tensions, adding fresh pressure on parents already paying high school fees.
Parents say the increases were imposed without any regulatory check. Many allege drivers are asking for Rs2,000 to Rs4,000 more each month, even though most schools sit within a 3 to 5 kilometre radius of students’ homes.
Parents say short trips now cost far more
Sidra, a mother of two living in Islamabad’s G-10 sector, said her children’s school in F-7 is only about a 10-minute ride away, yet the van fee has climbed from Rs6,000 to Rs8,000. She blamed the petrol hike for the jump and argued there was little justification for such a rise, noting that a government petrol subsidy applies to 800cc vehicles. She said the family already pays heavy school fees and that the extra transport bill is hard for a middle-class household to absorb.
Another parent, Abdul Hanan, said operators were using the fuel increase as a pretext. He pointed out that vans still charge the full monthly fee through summer and winter vacations, and that families have nowhere to take complaints.
Van owners call higher fares unavoidable
Operators defended the new rates. One said that besides petrol they must cover CNG, maintenance and traffic challans, and that old fares no longer allow them to keep vans on the road. He argued that after fuel, a driver’s salary and school commission, little profit remains, and that an increase of about Rs1,500 was justified.
The dispute leaves families and drivers at odds over who should absorb rising fuel costs on short urban routes that many parents see as modest in distance.
What happens next
There is no sign yet of a formal cap or official review of school van charges in the twin cities. Until authorities step in—or schools and parents negotiate collectively—monthly transport bills are likely to stay higher for households that depend on vans rather than walking or private cars.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad aur Rawalpindi mein school van walon ne petrol mehnga hone ke baad kiraya barha diya hai, kuch jagahon par 40 percent tak. Kai walidain kehte hain un se 2,000 se 4,000 rupay zyada maanga ja raha hai, chhoti doori ke bawajood. Ek maa ne bataya un ka kiraya 6,000 se 8,000 ho gaya. Van malikan kehte hain petrol, CNG aur challanon ke baghair purane kiraye par chalna mushkil hai.
