BRT fare to be hiked by Rs5 from July 1

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority (KPUMA) on Monday notified a slight increase in the fares of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for the next financial year 2022-23, the spokesperson of TransPeshawar, Sadaf Kamil said.

The initial fare has been increased up to five rupees that would be enforced by July 1, a notification said, adding that no increase in Zu Card and single ticket has been made. The new minimum fare has been fixed at Rs15 from Rs10.

The spokesperson said the increase has been made in view of current price-hikes in petroleum prices, adding that the service did not even increase its fares during Covid-19 situation.

“At the time when the final BRT fare list was issued, the price of diesel was Rs104 which has now been increased to Rs264 with an increase of Rs160.”

TransPeshawar was providing safe and environmentally-friendly travel facilities to people with minimal fares, she added.

On the other hand, the newly manufactured 86 buses have reached the Chinese port to be shipped to Pakistan to join the BRT fleet in Peshawar.

TransPeshawar’s Sadaf Kamil confirmed that the new buses for BRT were ready to be transported to Pakistan.

She hoped that the buses would soon join the BRT fleet in Peshawar, adding that with the induction of new buses, the total number of BRT buses would reach 244.

Sadaf highlighted that with the addition of new buses, more routes of the BRT would become functional, which would also help in enhancing the commuting facilities for the people traveling in BRT.

The K-P government had announced it will buy 86 new buses for the BRT service at a cost of Rs one billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2022.