In order to meet the transportation needs of the surging population of Karachi, the Sindh Transport Ministry has announced a new bus service featuring environment-friendly electric vehicles. What is particularly special about this service is that not only can these buses cover a distance of 240 kilometers on a charge of 20 minutes but they will be recharged via solar energy. This will help reduce losses and maximise efficiency, as electric vehicles normally require hours-long charge. Most importantly, buses will not need to use petrol or electricity, so managing it will be easier due to low cost.
This is a near perfect solution for a country that suffers from the crisis of climate change and for a city that has serious transportation problems. The buses will first go through 10 days of trial run from Sindh Archive Complex to Sea View before becoming fully functional. Initially, some 50 electric buses have arrived while negotiations are ongoing with Chinese, European and local companies to set up a manufacturing plant. While an official route hasn’t been announced, officials must make sure that it is in accordance with other bus lines. Such types of reformations is the need of the hour as the transport sector is one of the highest contributors to carbon emission in Karachi, while urbanisation and migration are two of the major factors contributing towards the greater number of vehicles on roads as vehicle registrations have seen a rise of 14%. By 2030, emissions are predicted to rise by a staggering 130% unless adequate measures are taken.
While this is a much-needed initiative for the citizens of Karachi, the overarching plan should be to ensure all transport services are environment-friendly and require renewable energy. Commuters have long been praying for a cheap, hassle-free method of transportation and it looks like their prayers are being answered.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2022.
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