The Punjab government has allocated Rs. 40 billion in the current fiscal year to develop dedicated charging infrastructure for its expanding electric bus fleet, with Transport Minister Bilal Akbar Khan confirming that newly inducted buses will be charged using WAPDA-supplied electricity until the purpose-built charging network is completed in phases across the province.
Currently, 400 electric buses are operating across 18 districts of Punjab, with the government having recently launched services on 13 new routes spanning Khanewal, Khushab, Bhakkar, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin, and Hafizabad. Under this first phase of district-level expansion, Khushab will receive 15 buses while nine buses each will be deployed in Khanewal, Bhakkar, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin, and Hafizabad. A second tranche of deployment covering 14 additional districts is planned before the end of July, with ten buses each heading to Chiniot, Layyah, Okara, and Sialkot, 12 buses each going to Gujranwala and Multan, and 11 buses each being introduced in Murree, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Vehari, Kasur, Lodhran, Nankana Sahib, and Narowal. By the end of July the provincial electric bus network will span 27 districts, representing a significant acceleration of the rollout beyond its initial urban concentration.
The charging infrastructure challenge is significant and acknowledged openly by officials. Current data shows Punjab has charging facilities for only 41 electric buses, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the 400 already deployed and the considerably larger fleet being assembled. The Rs. 40 billion allocation is specifically directed at closing this gap, with the government relying on WAPDA connections as a transitional solution while permanent charging depots are built across the expanding network. An additional 488 electric buses are expected to arrive in Pakistan by the end of August 2026, after which they will be gradually deployed across districts as charging capacity comes online, with the province targeting a total fleet of 1,900 electric buses during 2026 to cover its full district-level expansion programme.
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