Afridi inaugurates new BRT buses, Pink Bus service in Peshawar

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday inaugurated new hybrid buses, a Pink Bus service, the solarisation of the Chamkani depot and the Mall of Hayatabad depot for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

A briefing given to the chief minister said the BRT carries about 250,000 passengers daily, 30 per cent of them women. It said the service cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 30,000 tonnes a year.

The addition of 52 new buses takes the BRT fleet to 296. The briefing said the new buses would allow more routes to open and ease pressure on existing ones. It described the continued expansion as proof of the project’s success.

The Pink Bus service has been introduced to meet the specific needs of women passengers, the briefing said.

Solar power

A one-megawatt solar system has been completed at the Chamkani depot. It will generate 1.44 million units of electricity a year and save Rs76 million annually, according to the briefing.

Rs1.5 billion has been set aside to solarise the entire BRT system. Full solarisation will further cut electricity costs, it said.

Further expansion

The briefing said 50 more buses have been included in the current Annual Development Programme for Rs5 billion. It added that the purchase and construction of new depots, at Rs6.2 billion, is underway.

The briefing said Pakistan currently has no fully electric bus service other than the BRT, which it said has achieved that target.