The interim government of Sindh has added 80 more buses to the Peoples Bus Service (PBS), making the total fleet 300. Among these, 30 are diesel hybrid buses, and 50 are electric buses. The caretaker Sindh Chief Minister, former Justice Maqbool Baqar, attended a ceremony at Mazar-e-Quaid to mark this occasion.
During the event, the CM mentioned that 84% of registered vehicles in the city are private, mainly motorcycles and cars. The growth rate of private vehicles is over four percent, resulting in over 1,000 new vehicles being added to Karachi’s streets daily.
Baqar emphasized that there are currently more than 12,000 public vehicles, including buses, minibuses, and coaches, operating on over 250 routes in the city. However, the number of buses has been declining, falling below 5,000 in 2017. The caretaker CM stressed that a city like Karachi needs a minimum of 15,000 modern buses to effectively meet its transportation needs.
After the ceremony, Secretary Transport Asad Zamin briefed the CM, stating that 204 buses are operating on 11 routes in Karachi, six buses in Larkana, 12 buses on two routes in Hyderabad, and 10 buses in Sukkur.
Additionally, a Women-Exclusive Public Transport Service, consisting of nine Pink Buses on route R-01 and another nine Pink Buses on route R-02, is already operational in the city.
