Electric buses hit Karachi roads

According to details, Sindh Transport Minister Syed Awais Shah inaugurated the first of its kind electric buses in Karachi.

Inaugrated the first electric bus for Karachi. We will be adding a fleet of 100 electric buses for Karachi in near future. InshAllah !! pic.twitter.com/Nzcqlt2e4r

— Syed Awais Shah (@awais_shah01) March 30, 2021

Inaugurating the electric buses under a public-private partnership, Syed Awais Shah said that busses are fully electric and the government aims to add more buses to the fleet every month.

The minister said that transport was a big issue for the people of Karachi and the government was considering introducing electric buses in the megacity. However, the bus’s fare will be fixed at Rs4 per km.

Speaking to the media after the launching ceremony, he said more electric buses will be brought to the city’s roads in cooperation with the private sector.

As many as 100 electric buses will hit the road by the end of this year, he announced. He further added that since 2017, not as much work has been done as it should have been.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to congratulate the Sindh government, especially Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and his ministry, on their “remarkable step to add electric buses in Karachi Commuters system”.

Want to congratulate Sindh Govt specially @MuradAliShahPPP and ministry of transport on their remarkable step to add electric bus in Karachi Commuters system,@MinistryofST is fully behind Sind Govt in this futuristic approach hope Punjab and KP ll also take same route ASAP

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 30, 2021

He said his ministry fully supports the Sindh government in this “futuristic approach” and expressed the hope that the Punjab and KP governments will also take the same route as soon as possible. Last year in December, the Federal Cabinet had approved Pakistan’s first Electric Vehicle Policy.

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy and the Mobile Manufacturing Policy were acknowledged by the Federal Cabinet following their approval by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on December 16.