LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday formally launched the country’s first E-Taxi Scheme and distributed keys to selected male and female beneficiaries at the inaugural ceremony.
The chief minister inspected the electric vehicles provided under the scheme and inquired about their technical features. She handed over keys to five beneficiaries — Naila Farhan, Kiran Khurshid, Qurat-ul-Ain, Abid Ali and Azmat Mehmood — and also invited other successful applicants on stage. She posed for photographs with the new e-taxi owners while women beneficiaries interacted with her and shared their views.
In the first phase, 1,100 electric vehicles are being provided under the E-Taxi Scheme. The Punjab government is paying 50 per cent of the down payment and markup. For male drivers, 50 per cent of the down payment is being paid by the government, while for female drivers the government is covering 60 per cent. A 30 per cent quota is reserved for women under the scheme, and vehicles allocated to female drivers have a distinct colour. The government is also bearing the cost of vehicle registration, fitness tests and token tax. Payments are being made in easy installments over five years.
To ensure the safety of drivers and passengers, each e-taxi is equipped with a panic button linked to the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. The e-taxis are being registered with inDrive and Yango ride-hailing platforms. Fast chargers are being installed at various locations for vehicle charging. The vehicles are equipped with cameras, Wi-Fi and charging ports, while digital payment facilities are also being provided.
Addressing the ceremony, the CM announced the launch of Green Bus Service in every tehsil of Punjab and said a trackless train project would also be launched soon. She said Punjab was the first province to introduce the e-Taxi Scheme. She termed the e-taxi an environment-friendly vehicle and said the scheme would play a key role in providing employment opportunities, particularly to women.
She said five years were too short a period for public service as the work was enormous and time limited. “My desire is to serve people in a way that my name is remembered with respect in history,” she added. She expressed satisfaction over allocating more than 30 per cent quota for women in the e-Taxi Scheme, saying women often hesitated to enter taxi driving due to fear. “I urge the women of Punjab to remove fear from their hearts. The government stands with every mother, sister and daughter. No one needs to feel threatened,” she said, adding that strict action would be taken against anyone attempting to harm women.
She said women were now working shoulder to shoulder with men and appreciated Transport Minister Bilal Akbar Khan and Secretary Transport Imran Sikandar Baloch for their efforts.
She noted that green electric buses had revolutionised Punjab’s transport system and become a model for others. As many as 1,500 buses are being added, with another 1,100 to join the fleet. Work is underway on metro bus projects in Faisalabad and Gujranwala, while students, women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities are being provided free travel on green buses.
The chief minister said the government was providing a subsidy of Rs4 billion under the E-Taxi Scheme. In the first phase, 1,100 electric vehicles will be distributed. The Punjab government would pay 60pc down payment for women drivers and 50pc for men. She said the scheme could enable drivers to earn between Rs150,000 and Rs200,000 per month.
Referring to inflation, she said the upward trend witnessed in 2024 had stabilised in 2025 and was now declining in 2026. Across Punjab, a 10-kg flour bag is available at Rs950 and a 20-kg bag at Rs1,850.
Prices of onion, tomato and other essential items had declined, while vegetables and pulses have been made affordable to ensure that no one sleeps hungry. She announced that anyone who had not received a ration card or assistance under the Nigehban Programme could call helpline 1000 and would receive help within 24 hours. “My mission is to ensure that every citizen receives his due right and no household in Punjab sleeps hungry.”
Maryam said that 4.2 million families and 250,000 individuals had received Rs10,000 each under the Nigehban Ramazan Package.
Also, the chief minister paid tribute to security forces for eliminating 34 terrorists in operations carried out in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
