Sharjeel Inam Memon, former Sindh communication and transport minister, said on Wednesday that a new fleet of buses purchased during the PPP government’s time is ready for deployment from China.
The statement was made by the minister on X, formerly known as Twitter. He urged the interim Sindh government to take immediate measures to ensure that buses are delivered on time.
“The new bus fleet we purchased from China is ready for delivery.” “I hope the caretaker Sindh government will take immediate action to ensure early and timely delivery so that the public can benefit from the best and most cost-effective travel options in these hyperinflationary times,” he added.
According to World Bank research, Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, is suffering from a chronic scarcity of passenger buses, with just over 1,000 buses currently operating in the port city.
This unexpected discovery was revealed by officials from the Sindh government’s transport department during a briefing on Karachi transport challenges to Caretaker Finance, Planning and Development Minister Muhammad Younus Dagha.
According to the report presented to the interim transport minister, a total of 15,000 buses are required for Karachi’s comprehensive transportation system, while only 1029 buses are currently operational on city roads, including 240 buses operated by People’s Bus Service, 100 buses operated by BRT, and 689 old buses operated by the private sector.
Furthermore, work is being done on the route feasibility for the province’s purchase of 500 extra buses.
According to the World Bank assessment, approximately 13000 extra public transport buses were required in Karachi to fill the gap.
During the briefing, caretaker province minister Mohammad Younus Dagha instructed officials to encourage the private sector through public-private partnership projects in order to fill Karachi’s massive shortfall in public transport.
