The mantra in political circles is that PML-N launched its election campaign on February 10 with the launch of the Metro Bus project in Lahore. The impact of the project, the reaction it got from supporters and critics alike, was probably exactly what the party was hoping for – visibility!
And as far as visibility goes, they couldn’t have hoped for something better than a 27 kilometre long bus lane with shiny red buses traversing some of the most congested areas of Lahore, which is by all means home turf for the Sharifs.
It is Pakistan’s first bus service of its kind and was completed in a record time of about eleven months. It is a project that has been directed at providing relief to the masses.
But the enhanced visibility of the project also means that it is open to criticism, scepticism and has been under the political and economic microscope of both supporters and detractors alike for about two weeks now. Whether the critics are proven right, or whether the PML-N is able to pull it off is something that cannot be predicted just yet, but I am sure both sides will be watching very closely.
I was in Lahore recently for the launch of Shahbaz Sharif’s flagship project. It was done with much fanfare and lots of money was thrown around and journalists, prominent businessmen and diplomats from all over the country were invited to attend the event, all at taxpayers’ expense of course.
The Metro Bus project is has invoked a mixed but very extreme response from the public, from political circles and also from economists. There is very little neutrality here, either people hate it, or they love it.
Let’s take a look at the positives of the project, as claimed by the Punjab government. The service covers a total of 27 kilometres of some of the most congested areas of Lahore and has 27 stops. The service is said to have the capacity to transport 12,000 passengers per hour in any one direction, at a very economical fare of just Rs20 per head, a flat rate for the entire trip.
The buses are air-conditioned and relatively free from traffic congestion and subsequent delays because – except for some intersections – because they have a dedicated track. The articulated buses run on diesel and have a capacity to seat 38 passengers, and standing room for about 115.
Opponents of course hate it, they say it is a drain on the exchequer like no other, that it won’t survive more than six months because it is subsidised. And they say that the actual cost of the project is Rs60b or even Rs90b. Critics say that cost over-runs have been brushed under the rug and it is just a political stunt.
Some of the hidden costs are said to be the one hundred Daewoo buses which were originally imported at a cost of Rs10 million for the project but then rendered useless because they run on a special kind of fuel mix which is not available in Pakistan.
Critics also challenge Shahbaz Sharif’s claim that the service will recover its cost in four and a half years. They base this on their claim that the government is subsidising the service to the Rs10 million per month, so how can it ever hope to recover the amount?
Critics say that the PML-N cannot afford to pay the subsidy beyond a certain time, and in the event the current setup is not re-elected, critics believe the new government will have no inclination to keep the project up and running. There is the usual refrain – not unjustified – that the buses will break down because of a lack of maintenance or become filthy and be vandalised. This is definitely a possibility but in this case it might not happen because the maintenance contract has been outsourced to a private Turkish company which has expertise in this in their own country.
Then there are critics who believe the Rs30 billion could have been better used elsewhere, for example to solve the energy crisis in Punjab. They do have a point. But they also have to understand that while Rs30 billion is a significant amount, it is miniscule when it comes to an issue like power. The average cost of setting up a 500MW coal fired power plant is $500 million to $600 million. So even if the entire amount had been directed to power, at best 250 to 300 megawatts would have been added to the system.
This would not have had any noticeable impact on the provinces power woes.
Right now, the claims made by the critics are based on their assumptions and their calculations, which could be correct. The claims being made by the Punjab government are similarly based on their own calculations, and their own assessment of how far they can afford to run the project.
My guess is that this is more than just an election stunt. Even if it is a money sink, the Punjab government will find a way to keep it running. While this may not be economically prudent, or even sustainable, they will do it, because anything else would be political suicide and give their opponents the kind of ammo they cannot afford. The biggest argument in favour of the government is that they did not have to do this; they could have just spent the money on their own mansions or perks. The ultimate beneficiary is the public.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2013.
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@A Peshawary: What are you actually trying to say? lol
God bless Shehbaz Sharif. Best public service project any government can give to the public. Transportation is a necessity just like education, health and employment.
from the comments above i think its safe to deduce that Lahorites love it, people from other cities are critical (may be due to envy)......
and fanboys of PTI need to mature politically. I support PTI, but i wont rubbish away the achievements of Shahbaz Sharif for the sake of it.....
I see, KPK, Sindh and Baluchistan's etc provincial governments refused to invest in metro service but instead invested in education,health, power generation, poverty alleviation, law and order. They have created a utopia, their kitty is brimming and people around the world are dying to settle there.
Why are the Pakistani journalists criticising it. Its a good project. We in India are building metros in 14 cities. Nobody criticises because we know its importance.
For politics; it is not only visibility of public spending but its the support of the media that Sharif's get from them and make them visible for reasons best known to people involved in it.
A Peshawary
Some of the hidden costs are said to be the one hundred Daewoo buses which were originally imported at a cost of Rs10 million for the project but then rendered useless because they run on a special kind of fuel mix which is not available in Pakistan.
Come on guys, where in this world, do you get a Daewoo bus for Rs. 1 lac?????
One more lie against MBS!
Same was said about motor way but it became a very power full project. similarly same was said about nuclear test but it was also successful. Those who can not do anything will critic on every project.
Don't understand how educated and logical people in Pakistan can defend such a scam. Its basically saying that the government should dish out all the money they have to everyone in Pakistan and then hope by some miracle that everything will turn out well. This country is run by mafias which on the expense of the tax payers want to get elected again. By hiring more people then necessary in PIA,Steel Mill, Pak Railways and various other government organizations or by giving them 4 danish schools or sasti roti scheme or the biggest fraud ever in the name of Benizer Income Support program. People none of these things will help Pakistan get out of this economic meltdown we are in. We need the government to take concrete steps to eradicate poverty, fight corruption, and fix the power crises which is destroying Pakistan. These current leaders have proven again and again that they fail to fix the problems in Pakistan and just want to come back to power and loot and plunder this country. Its time for Pakistanis to wake up and realize we need to change all of this. Its out job to go out and vote and vote for someone who we know isn't corrupt. Someone whose new. Someone who has accomplished something positive for Pakistan. We need to go out and vote for PTI. Thats the only solution to this countries problem. I just hope we all wake up and go out to vote rather then just talk about the problem this country is facing. Do Pakistan a favor and try to elect someone who can give us hope rather then the same old faces who have only given us misery.....
I don't see how this can fail...even if subsidy money runs out and the ticket price gets jacked-up, surely the cost of travelling by bus would still be cheaper than owning 1-2 cars and buying petrol/gas?
I think, the worst thing that can happen is it will become a bus that is not really for the poor, but the upper-middle class. But that still leaves the roads with less traffic and less demand on petrol/gas. The poor benefit indirectly.
@Ahmad: Pakistan could learn from Indian experience of building successful Metro Rail on it's own in several of it's cities; Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, etc. They are world class.
I am afraid that we forget the basis of this Metro Bus System. Such projects, are mainly built to control traffic. However, Punjab Government has given Payback period of this project to be 5 years (if the cost of the project is 30 billion). If you take average fare of Rs. 20/40 and number of daily travellers to be 80k they will not be able to get the amount back with 5 years this might take them more than ten years. Plus, Turkish company also has invested in this project and from the revenue generated they will be for sure taking some percentage and yet we haven't subtracted the costs (direct and indirect).
I wanted to add another benefit of MBS that the writer did not mentioned.
According to the study being carried out by LUMS Small cities initiative, it was noted that in almost all developed countries, people that live in cities which lie within the 60 km radius of the metropolis contributed as a major workforce for the metropolis, however, for Lahore this was not the case. this was because the entrance points leading to Lahore were always chocked, wasting a lot of time for the laborer who commutes through buses to enter Lahore. this as a result hinders the positive effects that Lahore could bring to these small cities and the major working force that residues there. By building the Lahore Metro, we have actually helped the thousands of laborers, industrial workers and government clerks that live in areas in the outskirts of Lahore such as Shahdara and Kasur who could now compute daily to Lahore without any time wastage and benefit greatly from the greater business opportunities present in the metropolis.
People of Lahore love the project. Those who oppose are political opponents who feel threatened that such a popular project will hurt them in the elections. In its second week of operation 110,000 passengers are using it daily. With additional buses the capacity can be enhanced which have already been ordered. This project is going to pay for itself. Karachi ranks 3rd in the world by population but it is the only city in the Top 15 without a mass transit system. Lahore is lucky to have gotten this system at the right time. Karachi Needs a Shahbaz Sharif.
i want to add another benefit of MBS that the writer did not mentioned
According to the study being carried out by LUMS Small cities initiative, it was noted that in almost all developed countries, people that live in cities which lie within the 60 km radius of the metropolis contributed as a major workforce for the metropolis, however, for Lahore this was not the case. this was because the entrance points leading to Lahore were always chocked, wasting a lot of time for the laborer who commutes through buses to enter Lahore. this as a result hinders the positive effects that Lahore could bring to these small cities and the major working force that residues there. By building the Lahore Metro, we have actually helped the thousands of laborers, industrial workers and government clerks that live in areas in the outskirts of Lahore such as Shahdara and Kasur who could now compute daily to Lahore without any time wastage and benefit greatly from the greater business opportunities present in the metropolis.
Opposition always criticize the welfare projects for under-privileged people. Rs. 1 billion subsidy per year is nothing compared with the gas losses public is paying. From the article, it appears that the author has sympathies with opposition.
What a badly composed articles full or grammatical errors. The way this article has been written itself puts me in doubt as to whether the figures provided and remarks from critics/political parties are accurate.
Tribune, your standards are just falling and falling. I used to be such an avid reader of your articles but after this last one, im definitely changing my sources.
amazing project. i hope the people understand the importance.
Where was the PML N in the first four years of the present rule? Sleeping? Doesn't the author realise that at this particular time, a 'small' investment of Rs.30 billion on the energy crisis would have been helpful for the general public? Don't you think that a few extra megawatts of electricity would have remained 'unnoticed' by the public?
No one thinks how expensive it is for aam aadmi to travel. It can be so expensive that servants cannot go home daily. In India, it has been fond that it can take upto 40% of budget. Has there been a study in this regard in Pakistan?
Well, I totally disagree with the writer, This reaction comes when a sincere Govt. wants to work for general people. Why are people criticizing it, because it is totally for General people, traveling with out luxurious AC fitted cars. If Some thing is done for so called 3% Elite class then this project would be praised every where. Look at Zardari, completed in 120 Kanal Fort in Bahria Town, did he used his money ???? Look at so called Chaudhary brothers, ally of PPPP, how can they talk, while his son is involved in big corruption and they joined PPPP just to save him. This is best Project for Lahore and Pakistan. Higher Shabaz Sharif. Long Live Shabaz Sharif.
Pakistan needs more infrastructure projects like these. We need roads, dams and bridges. Better make them now or build them later at an escalated price. Great job Shahbaz Sharif. This is what ignorant people of Pakistan said about the motorway and Lahore airport, look at them now.
When all is said and done, the Punjab government has made an efficient low cost transit service for the common people of Lahore - we can complain about how this or that should be made but at least in Punjab things get done and the province is improving. We heard all the same negativity rant when the Sharifs made the motorways; I would rather these type of "political stunts" aimed at improving the public well being even if their own aim is to convince voters to support them. Isn't that why they were voted in ?
@Usman: You just received some bucks from PPP to write this "peice of wisdom". Surprised and angered at me as how can I accuse you of receiving these bucks if I dont have any evidence. My dear, morally, ethically, religiously its WRONG to accuse anyone of a crime which you think he may have committed because your father and his father also thought the same. We should grow up, think rationally and not merely say what our brains inherited!
Hold on.. have you ever considered the $$ amount that would be saved from the import bill of fuel that would otherwise be used in every other individual's vehicles travelling in that bus? 10 million a month is peanuts..
I'm seriously amazed at self proclaimed analysts (dear writer: I'm talking about you)... Please do your homework before throwing away your analysis at some acclaimed newspaper...
The priorities are finalized by the government and not by the journalist or writers, if u have an opportunity to write u can write and same as CM has the right to do things for the people according to his own approach.
This is the most important thing needed in Lahore as we move on the roads, we know what the poor people have problem in transportation and how expensive is to travel from one part to another part for job, medication, schooling, college, or socializing.
The taxi or rikshaw fare are not affordable on daily basis with even time constraint in road traffic jams. The other projects will be announced soon and we have a better Pakistan within next 3 years. Let the process complete and the government work for another 5 years.
Almost all public transit systems in the world are subsidized. Why? because public transit reduces the cost of living for the poorer segments of society. Because public transit reduces traffic congestion and thus improves overall economic efficiency. Because public transit reduces air pollution and improves the quality of life. Just because the government has to subsidize a public transport system does not mean it is a white elephant or a failure.
@Majid Urrehman:
The poor would be better served if their children get a proper education, the poor would be better served if corruption,nepotism and fraud was eliminated, the poor would be better served if healthcare was made more accessible. These are the foundations on which a prosperous society is made, making a busway or motorway is not going to fix Pakistan, IN ORDER TO COMPETE IN THE WORLD WE NEED TO BE BETTER EDUCATED AND TRANSPARENT OTHERWISE WE ARE DOOMED!
Govt can spend millions on the transport and security of the rich and elite, but not provide subsidy to the poor -- what a mindset
The Metro Bus is a good project. Can others who rule rest of Pakistan show something concrete and visible that they have done for common man. After all the public debt has more than doubled during past 5 years.
It is a good thing and it should be in all cities regardless. But ensure conservation of foreign exchange. Design and build them at home. Improve quality. Kill corruption every thing is all possible. If you are talking of election benefits just announce land ceiling and re-distribute excess land among the landless poor. This will be the end of feudalism and common man getting into the parliament. Only then will Pakistan have law and order and good policies that will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity and respect in the world.
PML-N does not know what is the opportunity cost of this project
How can anyone decry public transportation. All countries subsidize their public transportation. Whatever the motivation, it's a positive step for Lahore and Pakistan. Witness the mess that is the circular railway in Karachi, for comparison.
Is this a joke? It is election year and you're argument is that they did not have to do this? Why wouldn't they do it if it's govt. money spent (not theirs), kickbacks received on all contracts (it would surprise me if they didn't), high visibility project with high likely hood of public exposure. Rather than commenting on the damage this spending has done to Punjab Govt. budget, you're supporting this massive expensive election stunt. E.T. seriously, presenting two view points in understandable, but crossing the line of reasoning isn't.
People saying this money should go for education and health have no vision. Money for those two areas should come as well , but not by denying infrastructure development.
Every thing has its own priority.
I fail to understand the mentality of critics and political opponents. People praying and cursing for failure of project are insane. This may be politically motivated project, but will benefit common man. There may be some flaws and room for improvement but that will not justify prayers for failure of project.
Few tv anchors specially need some intellectual honesty on this issue. Why are we so mentally bankrupt that we cannot say things objectively without political bias.
The youth should grow up in this regard.
This project is on ground, pray for success and suggest solutions and improvement. If you do not like makers of the project, vote them out.
After all this 2013
Your guess that Punjab government will find a way to keep it running just to survive politically is extremely wrong. Before making this guess please sell your car and give that money to a charity, lower your income to 15000 per month, and then go to stop to reach your destination under scorching heat or freezing air or stormy rain and then make a guess, what is the purpose of red buses which give safety to poor like a mother? Only Allah can give reward to Shehbaz Sharif for his services to poor public of Pakistan.
This tells me how rushed the project was. Now we have buses leased from Turkey! These buses could have been made in Pakistan providing employment. However, the focus of this project was to coincide with elections and to get votes. PML-N had no plans for any development in the first four years and only came up with this ideas to counter the PTI tide.
I like this project, I think there should be more projects like this but I hope we have better management in the future and a long-term vision. A vision where we produce and supply our own buses and not lease or import them. Focus on building industries.
The government could invested the money into education, sanitation, water, jobs. No you chose the biggest big ticket item power to help make your ridiculous point. The part in big letters that you chose is not some gem of wisdom it is the face of corruption. You want me to thank the government for doing their job 1% of the time. Pathetic.