Punjab aims to run 5,000 electric buses over the next five years

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Tuesday the province aimed to run 5,000 electric buses over the next five years, Radio Pakistan reported.

In early April, the provincial government had confirmed plans to expand public transport capacity by leasing additional buses. An initial rollout of 1,000 non-air-conditioned buses was under consideration to address demand gaps.

The province’s top minister was chairing a meeting of the Punjab Transport and Mass Transit Department in Lahore when she outlined that Punjab had also started assembling electric buses locally.

During the first phase of the inclusion, 1,500 electric buses will hit the roads in 91 tehsils of the province, the state broadcaster stated.

The chief minister noted that 189 new buses were ready for launch and another 488 buses were expected to arrive from China later this month.

Read: Students develop App for routes, timings for Punjab electric buses

The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA) had already helped move over 1.8 billion people since its inception, according to the data available on the authority’s website. The authority has ruled that a passenger must exit the transit system within one hour and 15 minutes or pay an additional fare for the extended travel time.

Subsidy or burden?

In April, the Punjab government rolled out free public transport across the province to offer relief amid an increase in petroleum prices that triggered a sharp rise in commuter turnout and renewed debate over the sustainability of such subsidies.

According to estimates from the PMA, nearly 900,000 passengers benefited daily from the free travel facility, including over 300,000 Orange Line commuters, around 140,000 Metro Bus users, and hundreds of thousands relying on feeder and electric bus services across multiple districts.

While provincial authorities framed the initiative as a necessary intervention during an ongoing fuel crisis linked to global market disruptions, questions remain about fiscal sustainability and long-term policy direction.

Read more: Free travel facility ends

The estimated daily operational cost per bus exceeds Rs61,000, placing the total daily expenditure for the fleet at over Rs61 million, with monthly costs projected to approach Rs1.85 billion.

On June 13, APP reported that PMA, on the directives of the government, withdrew its free travel relief. It said the facility was given on a temporary basis.

“Public transport will be operated as per the normal fares.”

The Express Tribune calculated that the 69-day-long subsidy cost the Punjab government a whopping Rs4.209 billion.