TransPeshawar has announced that 52 new buses purchased for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit system are ready for shipment to Pakistan, paving the way for expanded services and improved public transportation across the city. The first 25 of the 52 new buses are expected to arrive in Pakistan in the early days of July 2026, with the remainder following thereafter. With the addition of the new buses, the total BRT fleet will increase to 296 buses, and the vehicles will operate on both the main BRT corridor and feeder routes, helping reduce passenger waiting times, increase service capacity, and meet growing travel demand.
The induction of 52 new electric buses and 50 hybrid buses was approved during the 46th meeting of the Trans Peshawar Board held at the Planning and Development Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Islam Zeb. The move is aimed at improving environmentally friendly transport operations and reducing carbon emissions in Peshawar. The fleet expansion follows sustained growth in ridership on the Peshawar BRT, which has been operating across 18 routes covering 132 kilometres since its inauguration in August 2020, making it the fourth Bus Rapid Transit system established in Pakistan.
TransPeshawar also announced that it will launch a dedicated Pink Bus service for women after the new buses join the fleet, aimed at providing women with a safer, more comfortable, and more convenient travel experience, particularly during peak hours. The introduction of a women-dedicated bus service on the Peshawar BRT places Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alongside Sindh, which recently announced its own Pink Bus Scheme as part of the provincial electric vehicle transport initiative, reflecting a broader national policy direction toward gender-sensitive public transport that makes urban mobility more inclusive and accessible for female commuters across Pakistan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also been reviewing plans for extending the Peshawar BRT system to Charsadda, Nowshera, and Khyber, alongside proposals for the Kohat-Kharlachi rail service, introduction of suburban rail services, procurement of double-decker electric buses for tourism, and expansion of the BRT fleet with additional electric buses, signalling that the fleet expansion confirmed on July 1 is part of a wider and more ambitious transformation of public transport in the province. The Peshawar BRT, which operates on a distance-based fare system accessible through the Zu Card and Zu Mobile App, offers fully accessible infrastructure with level boarding and dedicated sections for women and persons with disabilities, making the addition of a dedicated Pink Bus service a natural extension of an already accessibility-focused transit system.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
