Lack of public transport in evening hours irks commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Nov 16: With winter settling over the valley, commuters across Srinagar are struggling to find transportation during evening hours, raising concerns over the limited availability of public transport and the inconvenience caused to thousands returning home after work.Residents from various localities including downtown, Bemina, Zakura, Soura, Hyderpora, Parraypora, Nowgam and city outskirts said that minibuses and other public transport vanish from the roads soon after dusk, forcing people to wait for long hours or rely on expensive alternatives.“It becomes extremely difficult to reach home after 6 pm,” said Sahim Ahmad, a resident of Bemina who works in Lal Chowk. “Most buses stop operating early, and we are left stranded. Sometimes we have to walk long distances or pay high fares to auto-drivers.”Women commuters said the situation is even more challenging and unsafe during harsh winter evenings. “Standing on deserted roads in freezing temperatures is risky,” said Shabnam Bano from Soura. “We often wait for 30 to 40 minutes hoping a bus will come, but most of the time we end up taking cabs that charge double.”Students returning from coaching centres and Universities have also expressed frustration. “Our classes finish around 5 pm, and by then public transport is almost gone,” said Tajamul Ahmad who studies at University of Kashmir. “Not everyone can afford daily cab fares.”Transporters, however, attribute the reduced evening services to low passenger turnout and rising operational costs. A minibus driver from downtown, said cold weather discourages late-hour travel. “After 6 pm, we hardly get passengers, and running empty buses is not feasible for us,” he said.Meanwhile, commuters are urging authorities to intervene and ensure consistent public transport availability during winter months. “The administration must make evening transport mandatory,” said Ghulam Mohammad from Tulsi Bagh area. “People cannot suffer like this every winter.”However, Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kashmir, Qazi Irfan told Rising Kashmir that directions have already been issued to all transporters in Srinagar. “We have told them to keep transport available till late hours so that commuters do not face any inconvenience,” he said.