Bilawal inaugurates Peoples Bus Service in Karachi

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday inaugurated the intra-district Peoples Bus Service to facilitate the citizens of Karachi and provided the metropolis with much-needed public transport infrastructure.

The PPP chief was flanked by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon, and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani among others.

Under the Peoples Intra District Bus Service project, around 240 air-conditioned buses imported from China, will ply on seven routes in Karachi. The People's Bus Service will commence its operations on Route 1 from Model Colony to Tower covering a distance of 29.5 kilometres and stopping at 38 stations. In the first phase, seven routes were finalized in Karachi on which 240 buses will operate.

The other routes are from North Karachi to Indus Hospital (Korangi) distance 32.9km; Nagan Chowrangi to Singer Chowrangi (Korangi Industrial Area) 33km; North Karachi to Dockyard 30.4km; Surjani Town to PAF Masroor 28.2km; Gulshan-i-Bihar (Orangi Town) to Singer Chowrangi 29km; and Mosamiyat to Baldia Town 28.9km.

Ahead of the inauguration, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab, who accompanied Bilawal, said that the bus service had become operational from today and it will operate from Malir Halt to Tower.

Lack of public transport

In a sprawling urban metropolis like Karachi, which to this day lacks a well-established mass transit system, private buses, rickshaws and ride-hailing services account for the most accessible form of public transport. However, the latest surge in petroleum prices, which is reflected in transport fares, has made the commute to work an expensive affair for the city’s millions of salaried and working class people.

Read Karachi ranks poorly on livability index

Per rough estimates, transporters in the provincial capital have bumped their price by at least Rs20 to Rs50, depending on the distance. Owing to this, an average person’s monthly transport bill has reportedly gone up from Rs1,800 to Rs3,000, a price too steep for many of the city’s residents.