Fact-check: Wheelchair, stroller rental fees in Murree not profiting Punjab govt

A viral video on TikTok accuses the Punjab government of profiting from a business at a hill station by charging tourists for renting wheelchairs and baby strollers.

The claim is misleading.

Claim

On July 4, a social media user posted a one-minute and 35-second video on TikTok. In the video, a man can be heard claiming that the chief minister of Punjab is “running a good business” in Murree. He further adds that rather than distributing wheelchairs and baby prams for free to the elderly and families, the Punjab government was charging Rs200 per hour for the service.

This post had garnered over 96,800 views, 7,502 likes, and 3,254 shares, at the time of writing.

On July 8, the same video was also posted by a Facebook user. “Take a look at this great initiative by Maryam Sharif,” the user wrote mockingly, “Wheelchairs for Rs200 per hour in Murree.”

Fact

The wheelchair and stroller service in Murree has been established through a public-private partnership, with the earnings not going to the provincial government.

Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, the deputy commissioner in Murree, told Geo Fact Check that the chief minister of Punjab has recently directed them to ensure that people in the area had access to wheelchairs and baby strollers.

“We then have decided to allot land to a private company to provide the service,” he added. “They charge Rs100 per hour, not Rs200.”

Geo Fact Check then contacted Abdul Wahab Khan, the assistant commissioner in Murree, who corroborated what Shirazi said, adding that the money earned was not going into the government’s treasury.

“It was decided that the government will facilitate the provision of the [wheelchair and stroller] service but it would be run by the private sector,” he said. “So we have provided space for the service and we also regulate its prices.”

He added that the wheelchair and baby pram service has been rolled out by Buland Heights Hotel, a private hotel in Murree, which charges Rs100 per hour from people.

Additionally, Geo Fact Check spoke to Ayesha Waqar, the director of human resources at the Buland Heights Hotel. She also confirmed that the government had provided them space to provide a wheelchair and baby stroller service.

The same was confirmed by the office of the chief minister of Punjab. “To make the model sustainable, the private sector and hotel association were taken on board,” said an official from the chief minister’s office, who asked not to be named.

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