The caretaker government of Sindh has added 80 more buses to the Peoples Bus Service (PBS) fleet, bringing the total number to 300.
The fleet of 80 consists of 30 diesel hybrid buses and 50 electric buses. A ceremony to this effect was held at Mazar-e-Quaid, attended by the caretaker Sindh Chief Minister, former Justice Maqbool Baqar.
Speaking at the ceremony, the CM said that “private vehicles, mainly motorcycles and cars, make up about 84 percent of the total number of registered vehicles.”
According to Baqar, the growth rate for private vehicles is over four percent, resulting in over 1,000 new vehicles being added to Karachi’s streets daily.
Furthermore, he revealed that more than 12,000 public vehicles, including buses, minibuses, and coaches, are plying on more than 250 routes in the city. However, there has been a continuous decline in the number of buses in recent years, and in 2017, the number fell below 5000.
The caretaker CM stated that a city like Karachi should have a minimum of 15,000 modern buses to meet its transportation needs effectively.
Following the ceremony, Secretary Transport Asad Zamin briefed the CM about the Secretary Transport Asad Zamin. He said that at the moment, 204 buses are operating on 11 routes in Karachi, six buses in Larkana, 12 buses on two routes in Hyderabad, and 10 buses in Sukkur.
Furthermore, the first Women-Exclusive Public Transport Service, comprising of nine Pink Buses on route R-01 and another nine Pink Buses on route R-02, is already in operation in the city.
