Thirty electric buses, which arrived in Islamabad last month, are set to begin operations this week.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has announced that these buses will operate on two routes, with the inauguration ceremony expected on Friday. The ceremony, scheduled for July 5, may be attended by either the Prime Minister or the Interior Minister.
An official involved in the event planning mentioned that preparations are underway for the inauguration, and it is likely that the Interior Minister will inaugurate this bus service.
CDA plans to expand the fleet in Islamabad with 70 more electric buses expected to arrive from Karachi. An additional 60 buses will be dispatched from China after manufacturing.
The buses will operate on two routes: NUST to PIMS and PIMS to Bari Imam. The NUST to PIMS route will pass through G-11 Markaz, G-10 Markaz, G-9 Markaz, and G-8 Markaz, with 13 stops and a bus arriving every 10 minutes.
The PIMS to Bari Imam route will pass through G-7, G-6, Melody Market, Aabpara Market, Ataturk Road, Serena Hotel, Foreign Office, Radio Pakistan, and the Diplomatic Enclave.
130 buses will run on 11 routes, connecting the rural and urban areas. These buses are owned by CDA’s contractor, the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Defence. CDA will pay between Rs. 306 and Rs. 331 per kilometer for the buses and provide logistics support to the contractor.
Initially, 30 buses will operate from the Convention Centre, where the CDA has installed a charging station with six charging points. For the 70 buses arriving from Karachi, a charging facility has been set up at the H-9 metro depot. An official mentioned that 70 more buses will begin operating within a few days after starting with the initial 30. CDA is also constructing bus depots at Zero Point, I-9, and Taramri.
During his previous tenure, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the CDA to launch new bus services on 13 routes, prompting the agency to engage the NRTC to procure electric buses from an international manufacturer in China.
Under the PML-N government (2013-18), the Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro service was launched, followed by the Orange, Green, and Blue Lines. Prime Minister Shehbaz inaugurated the three metro bus services, and while the buses on these routes belong to the CDA, the 160 electric buses are owned by the NRTC.
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