Travel cost falls 7.9pc since May in Pakistan

A new mobility measure puts Pakistan’s average per-kilometre travel expense in September at Rs9.65, down from Rs10.48 in May. Dawn reported that the index, introduced by Pakistan & Counting with ride-sharing operator BusCaro, dropped from 100 to 92.1 over that period, a decline of 7.9pc.

The index tracks eight ways of travelling, including private vehicles, public transport and ride-hailing. Lower petrol costs were behind the overall fall: the September average was Rs374.61 per litre, 7.5pc below May’s Rs405.19, following an earlier energy-price surge linked to Middle East conflict and supply-chain bottlenecks. Fuel cost per kilometre for a Honda CD70 fell to Rs6.81 from Rs7.37, while car and private-rickshaw costs also declined. Public transport moved differently in the comparison because Punjab’s four BRT services were free in May, until June 12.