The trial phases of the much-awaited Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service is scheduled to start today in Karachi, five years after its launch. With a daily ridership capacity of 135000 passengers, the inauguration of this project will hopefully come as a breath of fresh air to the residents of the metropolitan city: alleviating traffic congestion issues and providing eco-friendly & economical commute to residents of Karachi, which is currently listed as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
As per reports, modern lifts and automatic ticketing systems will help passengers on every bus station. All details about the arrival and departure of buses will be provided on digital screens installed on bus stations. Each bus will have a capacity of 200 to 250 passengers while the fare is expected to be between Rs20 and Rs50. The buses will have a complete system from USB ports to wheelchairs.
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The bus service will consist of 80 hybrid buses that will cover a route of 22 kilometres from Surjani to the Municipal Park near Jama Cloth market with, 23 stations located on each km.
The prime minister is scheduled to visit Karachi on Friday afternoon for a one-day visit, where he will inaugurate the first phase of the hybrid bus project under the Karachi Transformation Plan.
PM @ImranKhanPTI will Inaugurate the much-awaited Karachi Green Line BRTS tomorrow. With a daily ridership capacity of 135000 passengers, the welcome addition of 80 hybrid buses will alleviate traffic congestion issues and provide eco-friendly & economical commute to Karachiites. pic.twitter.com/Fo6pVEeJBb
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) December 9, 2021
The Green Line Bus project was first announced by the PML-N’s federal government in July 2014. In 2016, the foundation blocks of the track were laid. Speaking to media on Thursday after reviewing arrangements for the inauguration ceremony, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar had said that the PML-N did nothing to functionalise the project other than laying the track for the buses.
“No major contribution was made during the PML-N government after the groundbreaking of the project in February 2016,” the minister had said, adding the PTI government decided to complete the project in May 2020 on a fast-track basis.
