New batch of buses under PBS arrives: Sharjeel

Former Sindh minister for information, transport, and mass transit Sharjeel Inam Memon announced on Saturday that a new batch of buses for the People’s Bus Service (PBS) has arrived in Karachi for the second phase of the transport project.

Sharing the information on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the PPP leader shared that “these buses were procured by PPP’s Sindh government”.

The intra-district People’s Bus Service project was launched in Karachi in June 2022 during the PPP’s tenure. The air-conditioned buses were imported from China.

Sharjeel further said that the people of Karachi now avail this ‘amazing service' at the best economical fare.

Sharjeel added that the recently arrived buses would be operational on their designated routes in a few days.

For the Peoples Intra District Bus Service project’s first phase, around 240 air-conditioned buses were imported from China. In the first phase, seven routes had been finalised initially on which all 240 buses operate.

Read 160 high-end electric buses delivered by China

Later, after an increase in demand, the transport minister under PPP-led Sindh government added more routes by including Clifton, Defence and Gulshan-e-Hadeed in July 2022.

The PPP-led Sindh government also launched the first route of the electric bus service under its Peoples Bus Service programme. The electric buses are environmentally friendly and offer a budget-friendly alternative to commuters.

The former minister for transport also launched ‘Pink Bus’, a women-only bus service in Karachi, to address the commuting problems of working women. For this service the Sindh government had planned to recruit female bus drivers to ensure complete sense of protection to female passengers. 

Sharjeel said, ‘Pink Bus’ and Electrical Vehicles were the unique projects which no government had thought about.

Sharjeel also launched the much-delayed Green Line bus project under PBS programme and carried forward and completed the Orange Line BRT project and successfully launched buses on various city routes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2024.