Women, students, senior citizens and persons with disabilities will now travel free of cost on Punjab’s first electric bus service as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the project in Sahiwal on Monday. She personally rode one of the new buses, describing the initiative as an important step towards modern and affordable public transport. A total of 30 buses have been allocated for Sahiwal city and 62 for the wider division, with a fare of Rs20 for other passengers. Punjab Transport and Mass Transit Minister Bilal Akbar Khan shared that 16 buses will initially run on four routes, carrying over 25,000 passengers daily.
Each bus in this fleet is equipped with Wi-Fi, CCTV cameras, charging ports, ramps for differently abled passengers and a separate women’s compartment. A new charging station has also been established in Sahiwal to support these operations. Separately, Punjab CM inaugurated eco-friendly electric buses in Sargodha where 60 buses will operate within the city and 105 have been allocated for the four districts of the Sargodha division, including Bhakkar, Mianwali and Khushab. Dedicated seating areas for women have been ensured, while men will pay Rs20 per ride, and free travel will be provided to children, students, women and senior citizens.
As of September 17, 48 buses had already arrived in Sargodha and five bays at the General Bus Stand were vacated to accommodate them. For now, 33 buses will run under the first phase of the rollout with an additional 15 buses to follow in phase two, according to a reporter for Express Tribune. A temporary charging station is in place in Sargodha but with only one available facility for over 100 buses, logistical challenges are anticipated. The government has allocated an area near Chak 91 for a permanent charging port to be installed by a separate local third party. Distribution across tehsils will see 10 buses each for Bhalwal, Bhera and Kot Momin, nine for Sillanwali. Five separate routes in Sargodha city have been finalised, all originating from Chak 91 and connecting Bhalwal, Bhera, Sillanwali, Kot Momin, Tehsil Sahiwal and Shahpur city.
The buses used in this initiative are manufactured by Yutong, a Chinese company based in Zhengzhou, Henan, and one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle makers. According to the manufacturer, these electric buses are built with lightweight materials that reduce energy consumption by 10 percent and weight by 10-20 percent, with aerodynamic designs that limit battery loss caused by wind resistance. Safety features include high-strength frames to reduce passenger injury in case of accidents. Each bus is equipped with Wi-Fi, air conditioning, wheelchair ramps and charging ports. The Government of Punjab has entered into a contract for the acquisition of these buses and engaged a local third-party administration to hire drivers and maintain the fleet. Fare revenues will be deposited into the government treasury, which will then make per-kilometer payments to the third party. While some residents have raised concerns about charging capacity for such a large fleet, the public reception of the new service has been largely positive as it represents a step toward affordable, greener and more accessible public transport for citizens in Sahiwal and Sargodha divisions.
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