Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, the Caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh, has issued a directive to the provincial transport and mass transit department to combine the Green Line and Orange Line bus rapid transit (BRT) projects in the city.
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister to assess various projects of the Transport & Mass Transit Department.
According to a statement released after the meeting, the participants were briefed about the Green Line BRT project, which became operational in December 2021. The Green Line BRT project covers a distance of 20.9 kilometers and currently operates 80 buses on a dedicated route, with an average daily ridership of 55,000 people.
The statement quoted the Chief Minister as expressing dissatisfaction with the current ridership figures in terms of the number of buses and the length of the project.
In response, it was explained that when other BRT lines, such as the Yellow Line and another feeder line, become operational, the ridership of the Green Line BRT is expected to increase significantly to between 150,000 and 200,000 passengers daily.
The statement further mentioned that the BRT Orange Line, covering a distance of 3.8 kilometers and currently serviced by 20 buses on the main track, has a recorded daily ridership of 3,000 passengers. However, by merging the Orange Line with the Green Line, it is anticipated that the number of daily passengers could increase from 3,000 to 25,000.
In light of this, the Chief Minister instructed the transport department to integrate the Orange Line with the Green Line to enhance its ridership. The article highlights the efforts and plans to improve public transportation infrastructure in the region, particularly in regard to BRT projects.
