Sindh govt to procure more electric buses for Karachi

KARACHI: The Sindh government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have agreed to collaborate in the procurement of another fleet of electric vehicles for the Peoples Electric Bus Service (PBS), which is already operating in Karachi.

The consensus was reached on Thursday during a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and an ADB delegation led by its Country Director Yong Ye.

The CM said that PBS in Karachi has made a difference in the lives of the city’s residents.

“People are enjoying travel by the Peoples Bus Service apart from its convenience and economical service charges. That’s why I want to add more electric buses to the service amid construction of the BRT system which would take time to get completed,” a statement issued from the CM House said.

On this the ADB’s country head assured Shah of the bank’s support, following which a committee comprising the ADB’s relevant sector officers and the provincial government’s planning & development (P&D) officers was formed to finalise the project’s formalities.

The meeting was attended by Unit Head. Project Administration Mr Dinesh R. Shiwakoti, Unit Head Urban, Water & Emergency Assistance Mian Shaukat Shafi, senior climate-change specialist Mr Nathan Rive and senior portfolio management officer Mr Khurram Butt.

Read more: PAKISTAN’S FIRST ELECTRIC BUS SERVICE HIT KARACHI ROADS

The Sindh CM was assisted by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, P&D chairman Hassan Naqvi, CEO of the Peoples Housing Project Khalid Shaikh.

The Sindh government launched the first route of the bus service under its Peoples Bus Service in June 2022. Under the programme, the bus service is being run on more than half a dozen routes across the city with over 100 buses plying on different roads of the metropolis.

However, this year in January the government launched the first route of electric bus service. The buses on route 1 run between Karachi Airport and Seaview.