At your convenience: Tourist bus planned for capital city

Route to cover 10 popular destinations across Lahore.

LAHORE:

The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) is planning to start a bus service in the city for the convenience of tourists.

A TDCP official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the corporation would operate three double-deckers to ferry 1,500-2,000 tourists to 10 locations across the city daily. He said the buses would cost Rs89 million. The official said the corporation would set-up terminals at Gaddafi Stadium and Minto Park in this regard. He said each of the terminals would be established on an area of 4 kanals. The official said the TDCP had requested the Parks and Horticulture Authority director general and the sports and tourism secretary to provide the corporation with land to establish the terminals.



He said a feasibility study had revealed that the Lahore Zoo had attracted the greatest number of visitors in Lahore. He said 3.7 million people had visited the zoo last year. He said 132,000 people had visited the Lahore Fort over the same period. The official said 72,000 had visited Jehangir’s Tomb in Shahdara last year.

He said a bus service had great potential. The official said the TDCP had finalised the route of the service. The buses would run between Gaddafi Stadium and Minto Park.

They would make scheduled stops at the Liberty Market Roundabout, Race Course Park, The Lahore Zoo, Anarkali, the Lahore Museum and the Lahore Fort.

The official said ticketing booths would be set-up at Minto Park and Gaddafi Stadium. He said the service would start at 9am and finish at 9pm. He said day-passes would be issued for Rs250 each.

The official said these would enable them to travel at their leisure to a location of their choice.



The TDCP is a state-owned company that manages and develops motels and resorts province-wide.

It has its own transport wing that serves destinations in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in the Northern Areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2014.