CM launches tourist double-decker bus service

Double-decker buse service has been revived for promotion of tourism in the walled city, says Shahbaz Sharif

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated the nation’s first tourist double-decker service at the city’s Punjab Stadium.

The chief minister also visited the service’s terminal and procured a Rs200-ticket. Sharif visited the souvenir centre and viewed the items displayed there. He also travelled on the bus and acknowledged the public’s response on spotting him. Speaking to newsmen later, Sharif said senior citizens, children under 10 and the physically challenged would be allowed to use the service for free. He said student tickets would cost Rs100 while the regular fare stood at Rs200.





The chief minister said the service would run between Gaddafi Stadium and Minar-i-Pakistan. Sharif said there was a time when such buses were a common sight in the city but they had disappeared over time. He said the buses had been reintroduced to revive tourism. The chief minister said the service would allow tourists to experience Lahore and view its historical sites. Sharif said the provision of eye-catching rickshaws had been arranged in the Walled City for tourists using the service. The chief minister said this would enable them to visit Lahore Fort, Badshahi Masjid and other historical wonders in the area and sample traditional delicacies at the Fort Road Food Street.

Sharif said those using the service would also see the streets and havelis of the Walled City. He said foolproof security arrangements, the provision of well-trained staff and first-aid had been ensured for the service. The chief minister said the number of buses being operated under the service would be increased soon.

He said using the service had turned out to be a stellar and comfortable experience. The chief minister praised Tourism Minister Rana Mashhood, Tourism Secretary Ahmad Hasaan, the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) managing director, the commissioner and the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) director general on the service’s launch.



Speaking to newsmen, the chief minister said he had ordered authorities to increase the number of buses devoted to the service as it would revive tourism and promote a soft image of the nation. Replying to a query, Sharif said the metro bus was an exemplary urban mass transit facility which had enabled hundreds of thousands of citizens to reach various destinations for only Rs20. The chief minister said teachers, students, employees, lawyers, medics and workers had been deriving great benefit from the metro bus.

Sharif said there was a discrepancy between the fares of the two services as they had been conceived for different purposes. The chief minister said those rapping the double-decker bus service would enjoy taking a ride on it just as they used the metro bus after assailing it. He said immediate measures would be taken to remedy traffic challenges that had arisen due to the development of the Orange Line Metro Train project. The chief minister said he had given directions to the CTO in this regard. Sharif said he was cognisant of the traffic challenges confronting the people which would be quickly overcome. He said the challenges were ephemeral.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2015.