The Sindh government has taken important decisions to modernise and improve the public transport system across the province.
A high-level meeting of the transport & mass transit department was held on Tuesday with Senior Information and Transport & Mass Transit Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon in chair.
The meeting gave detailed consideration to providing better travel facilities to residents, launching new routes and special measures for women. They decided that the Sukkur-Shikarpur Peoples Bus Service (PBS) would be formally launched this week, providing convenience to thousands of passengers travelling between the two cities.
In the next phase of the project, bus services will also be introduced on the Khairpur-Rohri and Khairpur-Ranipur routes. They agreed to expand the transport network across the province, including Karachi. Keeping in view the needs of the growing population, they also decided to introduce new routes in Karachi.
Memon said the government is also developing special plans for Hyderabad, where the PBS would soon operate on the Haider-Chowk-Kohsar and Hyderabad-Tando-Allahyar routes. The meeting also decided to purchase electric, hybrid and double-decker buses during the next financial year, and start new bus services in different districts in phases.
They decided to hold ceremonies soon to provide pink electric scooters to women in Sukkur and Hyderabad in line with the vision of empowering women. Memon said the government’s top priority is to provide safe and better travel facilities to women, and the provision of pink scooters in other cities after Karachi is an important link in this regard. The meeting also reviewed the ongoing work on charging stations and other necessary infrastructure for the launch of the electric taxi and pink taxi services.
Memon said that all requirements related to the electric taxi service would be completed by April’s end, after which the service would be made available to the public. This initiative will not only provide modern travel facilities but also create new employment opportunities, he added.
