The Punjab government relaxed three basic conditions of the yellow cabs scheme:

1: Date is extended till 15 August:

2: Basic qualification of the applicants is reduced  from intermediate to matriculation:

3:Waived the condition of holding valid driving licence issued at least one year prior to applying for the cabs. Now, those possessing even fresh valid licences are eligible to apply.

According to official sources, the government had issued over 100,000 application forms for the cabs but only 9,000 applicants applied by Friday. They said the figure was expected to increase to nearly 15,000 by the closing hour on Saturday.

The government intends to distribute 20,000 yellow cabs among people.

Officials said that keeping in view the low response, the government had extended the last date of submitting applications from July 31 to August 15.

It had lowered the basic qualification of the applicants from intermediate to matriculation, and waived the condition of holding valid driving licence issued at least one year prior to applying for the cabs. Now, those possessing even fresh valid licences are eligible to apply.

Officials said that the number of applicants was low because of complicated application form. Short time given for submitting applications was another stated reason. There must have been four weeks time for this process so as to allow more people to respond to the offer, they said.

“Right now, everything is on fast track which looks wrong,” a senior official remarked. An official handout issued on Saturday night claimed that the CM had extended the date on a pressing public demand.

According to the plan, the government intends to start distribution of the cabs from southern Punjab districts around Eidul Fitr. The government intends to distribute the cabs through computerised ballot if the number of applicants exceeds the number of sanctioned cabs.

All the cabs are on petrol and CNG. The government has not as yet fixed fare of the cabs or decided how to regulate it. And officials said the fare would be determined by the road transport authority.

Meanwhile, cab drivers who operate at the Lahore Railway Station took out a rally up to the Chief Minister’s House to protest against what they said the distribution of yellow cabs among those who did not have anything to do with them. Instead of

giving the cabs to professional drivers, the government was distributing them among the so-called educated youth. And this would again render the scheme flopped, they said.

The drivers said that they were forced to drive rickety vehicles because of lack of money to buy new ones. The government must also include them in the scheme while removing certain unrealistic conditions so that they could be able to earn better and provide decent travelling facilities to people.