Travelling on the metro bus is simple once you know the basic rules, and following them keeps the journey smooth for everyone around you. The Punjab Mass Transit Authority issued a 31-point code of conduct for the metro bus service in the twin cities, and its main message is easy to remember: pay for your ride, respect other passengers, and stay off the track. Most problems happen when a passenger skips a ticket, takes a reserved seat, or ignores a station instruction.
The first rule is also the most important one. Every passenger is bound to buy a token or a smart card before travelling, so board only with a valid ticket or a charged metro card in hand. Keep it with you for the whole journey, because staff may ask to see it, and travelling without a valid ticket can lead to a penalty or removal from the service. If you lose your ticket, buy a new one rather than arguing your way through, since a lost ticket does not count as a valid one.
Seats, Selling and Behaviour on Board
Some seats on the bus are allocated for special persons and women, and other passengers should not sit on them. This rule is about more than politeness: it makes sure that passengers who need those seats most can actually use them, even during rush hours. Give up a reserved seat without being asked when the passenger it is meant for boards, and keep walkways and doorways clear so others can move safely.
Selling anything inside the buses or on terminal premises is also banned under the code of conduct, and the entry of beggars into the service is banned too. In plain terms, the bus and the station are for travelling, not for trading or soliciting, and staff can ask anyone breaking this rule to leave. The same spirit applies to everyday behaviour: keep noise down, do not block doors, and follow staff instructions at stations, especially when a bus is crowded or a platform is busy.
The Track Rule and What Fines Really Mean
One rule carries a much stricter warning than the rest: citizens are banned from walking or moving on the metro bus track. Section 144 has been imposed in this regard, and people have been arrested in the twin cities for crossing the track, so never take a shortcut across it, however quiet the road looks. Always use the proper station entrances, footbridges and crossings, and keep children close to you on platforms.
So what about fines themselves? The Punjab Masstransit Authority Act 2015 does provide for penalties for contravention, damage to property and disobedience of orders, but no single published fine tariff for everyday passenger offences was found in the sources checked for this guide. That matters, because random fine amounts shared online are often guesses. If staff fine you or ask you to leave, ask politely which rule was broken, and check the notice boards at the station for the current instructions.
If you feel a rule was applied unfairly, or you want to report a problem, contact the Punjab Mass Transit Authority helpline on (051) 111-222-627 with your route, station and time of travel. For general public transport concerns in Islamabad, the Islamabad Transport Authority can be reached on 051-9108005. Knowing the rules before you board is the easiest way to avoid a fine altogether: valid ticket, reserved seats respected, nothing sold on board, and never on the track.