LAHORE: Punjab has announced launch of more electric buses as Lahore is all set to expand its eco-friendly public transport system.
As per details, the 35 enviroment friendly electric buses are expected to arrive in Lahore next month.
The official spokesperson stated that the latest batch of buses will run along the Canal Road corridor, covering the route from Thokar Niaz Baig to Jallo Mor.
Moreover, the buses are will likely arrive in the coming week, with formal operations likely to begin in the first week of next month in a grand ceremony.
As of now, 27 electric buses are operating in Lahore, running on the route between Green Town and the Railway Station.
After this addition, the new fleet will significantly enhance public transport accessibility, reduce traffic pressure, and provide commuters with a safe and cleaner vehicles.
Furthermore, this addition will take the total number of electric vehicles in Lahore to 60, one of the largest electric public transport operations in Pakistan.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated an electric bus service in Sargodha, announcing that senior citizens and students will be able to travel free of charge.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, she said that in Pakistan, major projects traditionally begin in big cities and end there, but her government wants development to start from smaller cities and spread across the entire country.
Maryam Nawaz also noted that during her first visit to Sargodha’s hospitals, she was saddened to find that the city had no facility for heart patients. She added that the Sargodha Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology has now begun operations and will soon be fully functional. Specialists from across Punjab have been sent to Sargodha, meaning patients no longer need to travel to Faisalabad or Lahore for treatment. She further announced that her father, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will be requested to formally inaugurate the institute next month.
The Chief Minister highlighted the poor condition of public transport in Sargodha, saying people had long been forced to travel on broken buses, with passengers often sitting on the roofs. She stressed that women passengers, in particular, faced hardship in the absence of proper transport facilities.
