Night travel by coasters a pain
for commuters
Chitral
-- The advent of direct coaster service between Peshawar and Chitral
and Islamabad and Chitral is a blessing for commuters who were at
the mercy of overloaded hiace wagons changing over at different
places. However the coaster operators have also learned the bad
habits of transporters of the north and have started night service
instead of day service.
Many passengers are reluctant to travel at night. The coasters dock
up at hotels in Dir in the wee hours of the night forcing passengers
specially ladies to use the hotel facilities and pay heavily for it.
The travel onwards from Dir to Chitral is allowed only during day
light so passengers have to wait forcibly at these hotels.
When a driver of a coaster was asked why he prefers to travel at
night he said during night travel there is no police presence at
place to place asking for illegal gratification, and in this way we
save Rs1500 per trip, therefore we prefer to travel at night he
said. -