LAHORE: At least 36 new Express Coaster Service buses are to being operating from January 15, 2011, under the management of the new Lahore Transport Company Chairman Khawaja Ahmed Hassan. These buses are to start their routes from Defence, to the rest of the city, and are expected to be used as an alternate to cars. They are also expected to have an electronic ticketing system.
The survey for these buses has been completed keeping in consideration the Defence Housing Authority and Model Town areas, where the number of cars is relatively high than anywhere else in the city. For this the LTC, along with local bus manufacturers, have come up with these buses to replace cars.
In the pipeline: Another agreement is also under process. The LTC has spoken with representatives of Suzo, Premier and Fotone companies, and about 300 buses are to be manufactured.
This agreement is at present in the pipeline. The new LTC chairman presided over a meeting of senior company officials on Wednesday along with the board of directors. Mohsin Latif and Mehr Ishtiaq were also present. Hassan said that many prospects of foreign investment have already been developed in the Urban Transport Sector, and equal opportunities would be provided to local and foreign investors.
At the same time, transport projects would be implemented in a transparent manner, he added. Instrumental: Hasan said that the project of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is expected to be instrumental in providing better transport facilities to the people of Lahore. BRT would bring about revolutionary changes in the urban transport. “The people of Lahore have a lot of expectations from LTC so all officials should exhibit a high level of performance,” said Hassan.
“Time should also be kept aside for redressing the grievances of the public,” he added. Hassan has said that the Punjab chief minister is giving top priority to the provision of transport facilities especially with regard to Lahore. He said that LTC had a lot of potential to attain the objective of service delivery in the transport domain. The chairman said that dedicated lanes for the buses would be constructed for the execution of BRT in the city. He said that Korea had shown keen interest in the BRT system but equal opportunities would be offered to all local and foreign investors.
Hasan said that all legal formalities were being fulfilled which is why the Request for the Proposal (RFP) would be advertised at national and international level. He urged the LTC officials to perform their duties with diligence and commitment. “I have full confidence in the competence of LTC officials and I expect a high level of performance so that the real objective of providing a better transport system is achieved,” he said. Hassan also advised the officials to interact with him freely so that internal communication between the management and staff improves.
