The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will soon be launching two environmentally-friendly electric feeder buses to transport passengers to the Green and Blue Line metro terminals.
The Green Line service will operate from Bhara Kahu (Jillani Stop) to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). CDA officials have said that the existing two-lane Murree Road in the Bhara Kahu area is already facing traffic congestion and that the service will therefore be started from Jillani Stop.
CDA officials said that construction work on the bus stations for two electric feeder buses services is in progress and is expected to be completed in August. However, CDA is planning to launch both bus services soon as nonstop express service between Bhara Kahu and Pims, and between Koral and Pims.
It is important to note that the bus services will be launched in mixed traffic for the time being on existing roads. In the future, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will construct separate and designated corridors for them.
For the fiscal year 2022-23, the federal government has earmarked funds amounting to Rs1,500 million for both services.
According to budgetary documents, the government has earmarked Rs1,000 million for the Rawat-Faizabad Metro bus project (Blue Line) and Rs500 million has been earmarked for the Bhara Kahu Faizabad Metro (Green Lines).
At the recent meeting held at CDA headquarters, it was decided that out of the 30 metro buses that had arrived from China, 10 would be used for the Blue Line service, 5 for the Green Line service, and 15 would be used on the Peshawar Mor to Airport route.
The budgetary documents for the coming years show that Rs10 billion will be allotted for both projects, but for the upcoming year, Rs1 billion will be given to the Blue Line service and Rs500 million will be given to the Green Line service.
Currently, the CDA is running the Airport bus service through borrowed buses of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Service.
At the meeting, participants were told that the proposed fares were Rs50 for Green Line and Blue Line service, Rs50 for Peshawar Mor to Grand Trunk Road, and Rs100 from GT Road to Airport. The final decision on fares will be made after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approves the bus service. Sources said that it is expected that PM Shehbaz will inaugurate the bus services next week.
