PESHAWAR: Transporters have increased fares on intercity transport fares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 20 percent following the recent rise in petroleum prices, while fares for inter-district transport within the province so far remained unchanged. President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transport Owners Association Gul Zaman Afridi talking to this scribe stated they have decided to increase fares for long-distance routes, including Lahore and Karachi by Rs1,000 per passenger. However, he said fares for transport operating between different districts within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be increased after a few days. “We have also contacted the provincial government’s transport department, but no official fare notification has been issued so far,” he added. On other hand, Najibullah, spokesperson for the Petroleum Dealers and Cottage Contractors Association, said that the recent increase in petroleum prices had placed an additional financial burden on dealers while fuel sales had declined by nearly 70 per cent. He added that unless the government adopted austerity measures, the country’s economic problems would remain unresolved. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026