Intercity bus project launched

100 new buses will ply on routes connecting Karachi with Hyderabad, Sukkur


Our Correspondent April 14, 2015
PHOTO: SFS TRAVELS

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service Ltd formally launched the first phase of 'Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Intercity Bus Service Project' during a ceremony held at CM House on Tuesday.

In the first phase of the bus service, 100 new Daewoo buses will ply on the routes connecting Karachi with Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Benazirabad and Larkana under public-private partnership. Initially, 50 buses are being brought on the roads while as many will be inducted in the fleet later on. Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that his government has fulfilled “yet another commitment with the people of Sindh for providing them qualitative, comfortable and affordable transport facilities in accordance with the vision of Benazir Bhutto”. He said that this first phase of the project has been launched with a joint investment of Rs2 billion from the Sindh government and the Daewoo bus service.

He said that the Sindh government will partner with the Daewoo bus service and help initiate the project for Karachi as soon as possible. "We are also working on the BRT [bus rapid transit] project in Karachi and will soon enter into other agreements to execute the projects," he said, adding that once the BRT projects are complete, most transport problems of Karachi will be solved by the end of 2017.

Daewoo president Chang In Park said that after a transparent bidding process, Daewoo was chosen to be the developer and operator for this project. This is a symbolic project launched as a gesture of goodwill. He said that the new buses will be imported for this project. "Daewoo Express Pakistan is the only international bus service in Pakistan operating in Sindh, Punjab and K-P from 52 cities, catering to the travelling needs of over 500,000 passengers every month."

Transport secretary Taha Farooqui was of the view that the project was designed to establish a transport network between Karachi and all the divisional headquarters of Sindh and to extend these facilities to each district headquarter of the province in different phases.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.

COMMENTS (1)

Amjad | 8 years ago | Reply Why is Sindh government handing out tax payer money to a private operator of buses, when there are already hundreds of buses plying on all routes of Sindh. Air conditioned buses are operating between all district headquarters and Karachi. This is obviously a scheme where huge kick backs are involved. Why only Daewoo, are the rest of the transporters "Children of a Lesser God".
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