Pakistani netizens call for better public transport after Swvl says its pausing services

Swvl is putting their transport services on pause and people, especially students, who rely on them as a mode of everyday travel are disappointed by the news.

Public transport, something that is a given in a lot of places around the world, is something that is a work in progress in Pakistan. When companies like Airlift and Swvl introduced their services, the public heaved a sigh of relief because they could ditch the only other options i.e. expensive cab rides and public buses that were unsafe and relatively unsanitary.

But on Thursday, popular bus-sharing service Swvl announced that it would be "pausing" daily rides within Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad from Friday (June 3) "in light of the global economic downturn".

Swvl users took to Twitter to express their dismay. According to this user, Swvl is the only service that connects all sectors of Islamabad and it is a big disappointment to lose it.

It is a "massive blow to the white collar segment of society."

Students are another group that is majorly impacted.

Some working people also relied on the bus service because they don't want to drive to their offices.

Public transport is supposed to be cheap and now the only good options are gone, say users.

Airlift, which began as a bus-hailing service, also suspended operations during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. And now Swvl is joining it.

Will you be impacted by the pause in services?