Karachi: The Sindh government has launched the country’s first electric public bus service in Karachi.
Launched under the People’s Bus Service of the provincial Transport Department, the vehicles started operations from Jinnah Avenue near Malir Cantonment to Sea View near the city’s coastline. Electric buses will also start operating on other routes in the city as well.
Sindh Information and Transport Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, along with Labour and Human Resources Minister, Saeed Ghani, and Local Government Minister, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, launched the service.
They also travelled in one of the electric buses and checked out facilities for the commuters.
Memon said that the new service reflected the vision of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party to introduce the most environment-friendly, modern, comfortable, and cheap mass transportation facilities for the urban population in the province.
He said the new buses imported from China were fully compliant with the European environmental protocols as they don’t cause any form of environmental pollution.
He said that a special feature of the first route was that the passengers would also get the opportunity of going to the Karachi International Airport.
He said that Rs50 would be the minimum fare for travellers, airport visitors and employees in Karachi.
Otherwise, the intending air travellers pay phenomenally high fares for using a regular cab and ride-hailing services in the city for reaching the airport, Memon added.
The provincial government’s drive to modernise mass transportation facilities in every urban centre of the province would continue, he said.
The buses commenced their trial run in November. A total of 50 electric buses were imported from China. The 12 metre-long buses have a seating facility for 34 passengers including two spaces reserved for differently abled persons.
Up to 40 passengers could travel in the bus while standing. The government aims to contract the services of private partners to build solar-powered recharge facilities for these buses.
