Significant progress has been made in the import of electric buses for public transport in the federal capital.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has opened a letter of credit (LC) for the purchase of electric buses, well-informed sources told ProPakistani.
According to the sources, after opening the LC by SBP, the amount has been paid for the purchase of buses. The consignment of electric buses will start reaching Pakistan within the next 2 months.
Sources say that at the end of November this year, the CDA team will visit China and inspect the buses. After inspection by the CDA team, the first batch of 30 buses will be sent to Pakistan.
The second batch of buses will consist of 70 electric buses, while the third batch will consist of 60 electric buses. These electric buses will be operated on 13 public routes in Islamabad.
Notably, 128 electric buses are needed for Islamabad while 160 buses are being ordered. 32 additional buses are being procured so that these buses can be used in case of charging and other technical delays and any faults.
According to the CDA officials, the preparation of the buses is in the final stages of completion, after the CDA inspection, the buses will be sent to Pakistan.
The drivers will be trained after the first batch of electric buses from NRTC arrives. After two weeks of training for drivers, these buses will be on the roads of Islamabad in December this year. In the first phase these buses will be operated on 2 routes, these electric buses will connect IJP and Taramri with the Central Metro Bus System.
According to CDA officials, feeder buses will be operated on 13 routes in Islamabad. These buses will provide world-class travel facilities to around 100,000 passengers.
