Budget 2022-23: Karachi to get more diesel-hybrid buses

KARACHI: The Sindh government has earmarked Rs4 billion in the next financial year budget 2022-23 for procuring more buses to be run in Karachi under its Sindh Peoples Intra-district Bus Project.

In his budget speech at the Sindh Assembly, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that during outgoing financial year 2021-22, the Sindh government had spent Rs6.4bn for procurement of 250 buses. “For next financial year, Rs4 billion has been earmarked for the same purpose,” he said.

“The Peoples Bus Service will have 250 buses to be operated on seven routes of Karachi and one route of Larkana,” he said, adding that consultations were under way with China and Turkey for addition of more fleets.

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Murad went on to say that the transport department is also establishing modern terminals at Karachi, Thatta and Badin in the first phase.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh govt recently procured 140 buses for Karachi under its Peoples Bus Service project. The buses will run on seven different routes of the port city from next week.

After the test run on first route, which covers 29.5-km area from Model Colony to Tower, the same exercise will be followed on all other six other routes.

The other six routes include the areas from North Karachi to Indus Hospital [Korangi] distance 32.9-km; Nagan Chowrangi to Singer Chowrangi [Korangi Industrial Area] 33-km; North Karachi to Dockyard 30.4-km; Surjani Town to PAF Masroor 28.2-km; Gulshan-i-Bihar [Orangi Town] to Singer Chowrangi 29km and Mosamiyat to Baldia Town 28.9-km.