While the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Peshawar provides daily transportation to hundreds of thousands of citizens, the very staff operating the service face a harsh reality—no travel relief for themselves.
Shumaila (name changed), a female conductor working with BRT, revealed that despite earning a monthly salary of Rs38,000, she has to personally recharge her Zu Card to travel to her duty station. Neither free travel passes nor discounted fares are provided to staff members by the company.
She demands that BRT workers be given at least subsidized travel so they can use the service without cutting into their modest wages.
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According to her, a simple solution to prevent misuse of free travel facilities could be to credit a fixed travel allowance to each employee’s card every month. This, she believes, would ensure transparency and offer much-needed financial relief.
Data from TransPeshawar's spokesperson Sadaf Kamil indicates that over 86.5 million rides were taken on the Zu Peshawar service in 2024 alone, with daily ridership exceeding 345,000. More than 30% of these commuters are women, who view BRT as a safe and reliable option.
Gul Rukh, a BS student at Abasyn University and regular commuter, commended BRT for its affordability and women-friendly environment. She highlighted the security and facilities available, adding that it remains her preferred mode of travel even if it means waiting longer at stations.
Despite the system’s benefits for the public, BRT workers feel left behind. While the company cites potential misuse as the reason for not offering free travel to employees, the staff argues that misuse risks exist in every system and should be managed through better monitoring—not by denying benefits entirely.
As female employees make up a significant portion of BRT’s workforce, especially among conductors and station staff, the lack of travel relief hits them particularly hard. Many must bear travel expenses from their own salaries just to reach their workplace.
Employees and advocates now urge the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and TransPeshawar to introduce a monthly travel card or allowance for BRT staff, ensuring that those who help facilitate public convenience receive the same consideration.
