Karachi’s daily riders are facing sharp, unofficial increases in bus fares as students, office-goers and domestic workers say their travel costs have risen over the past few months, with transport operators blaming soaring diesel prices. A government college student, Iqra, said her one-way fare on the No. 55 bus had jumped from Rs40 to Rs70, while a domestic worker said the cost of her daily commute had risen from Rs150 to Rs250. “The rise in bus fares has broken my backbone,” said Salma, who works as a domestic helper in DHA.
Commuters say costs are spiralling
The fare hikes are affecting different parts of the city, from Orangi Town and Baldia Town to Saddar and North Nazimabad. Many commuters told Dawn that operators were charging more without any official sanction, leaving passengers to absorb the burden of the city’s rising fuel prices. Several said the increase ranged from Rs10 to Rs40 or more depending on the route.
Students, workers and families under pressure
Iqra, who passed matriculation with an A1 grade in July and enrolled in a government college at a Pakistan Navy facility on Dalmia Road, said she now spends around Rs150 daily on travel because she also attends coaching classes in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. She said the same journey had earlier cost much less.
Mai Khairan, an elderly woman who works in homes, said her bus and Qingqi rickshaw fare from Qatar Mor in Orangi Town to areas of North Nazimabad and Nazimabad had risen from Rs60 to Rs90. Two female university students travelling from Baldia Town to KDA Chowrangi in North Nazimabad said their daily fare had increased from Rs60 to Rs80 each. Arif, who travels from Bhains Colony to Saddar on a number 16 bus, said he now pays Rs150 instead of Rs100-120, while another passenger said some conductors were charging Rs50 for Saddar from Gurumandir, up from Rs40 just days earlier. Hamid, an elderly man travelling from Baldia Town to Shaheen Complex, said his fare had gone from Rs90 to Rs120-130.
Official fares and on-ground reality
The Sindh Regional Transport Authority issued an official notification on April 4, 2026, setting fares at Rs40-Rs50 for up to 10 kilometres, Rs70-80 for up to 30 kilometres, and Rs110-120 for routes beyond 31 kilometres. That rate list is still shown on the authority’s website, but the survey cited in the report found transport operators charging at their discretion and violating the notification. The government has not issued any official notification approving the latest fare hikes.
Route / commuter Earlier fare Current fare No. 55 bus for Iqra’s college commute Rs40 Rs70 Iqra’s coaching-centre travel in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Rs100 for a two-way trip About Rs150 daily Qatar Mor to North Nazimabad/Nazimabad Rs60 Rs90 Salma’s daily travel Rs150 Rs250 Baldia Town to KDA Chowrangi, per student Rs60 Rs80 Bhains Colony to Saddar on number 16 bus Rs100-120 Rs150 Gurumandir to Saddar, reported by a passenger Rs40 Rs50 Baldia Town to Shaheen Complex Rs90 Rs120-130
Transporters blame diesel shock
Transport operators say they are on the brink of collapse because of rising diesel prices. Petrol is around Rs390 per litre and diesel is selling at Rs400 per litre, with almost all buses in Karachi running on diesel. Shakeel, a minibus driver on the Sohrab Goth-Cantonment Railway Station route, said what drivers earn through the day “vanishes” at the petrol pump. He said most drivers work on daily wages or under a rental system, and the amount they can keep after paying the owner and conductor has fallen sharply.
Fleets shrinking as pressure grows
Shakeel said that before the latest surge in fuel prices, he would give his owner Rs5,000 to Rs7,000 a day after keeping Rs2,500-3,500 for himself and Rs2,000 to Rs2,500 for his conductor. Now, he said, he barely gives his conductor Rs1,000-1,200 a day after keeping Rs2,000 for himself. Another driver said the daily rise in diesel prices had “destroyed” the transport business, leaving operators with nothing at the end of the day.
Karachi Transport Ittehad President Haji Tawab Khan said no official fare hike had been made from the KTI platform, though he acknowledged that soaring diesel prices had devastated the industry. He said some transporters might be charging extra individually, but the union had not raised fares so far. According to him, the gap created by rising diesel costs is around Rs150, and nearly 60 per cent of buses have gone off the roads. He added that some transporters are removing bus bodies to convert them into trucks or shifting fleets to other cities.
Green and Red buses stay steady
Amid the wider fare increases, commuters said fares on the Bus Rapid Transit Green and Orange Lines and the Peoples Red Bus Service had not been raised. Many passengers prefer these services over older buses because of the comfortable rides, air conditioning and lower cost, though they also reported a shortage of Red Buses in recent days.
Next fare decision may come from operators
Mr Tawab said an official meeting of transporters would soon be called to announce a fare hike from their office, underscoring how the city’s road transport system remains caught between unauthorised passenger charges and the mounting pressure of fuel inflation.
