19 new buses to join Metro fleet

19 buses would be added to the Metro Bus fleet of 45 by the end of June as the bus service’s demanded has exceeded expectations in the provincial capital.

The Metro Bus has been inundated with passengers since its opening on February 10. Those behind the project had expected the crowds to dwindle after the initial hype surrounding the shiny 27 kilometre bus corridor dissipated. However, around 120,000 people a day on average were still using the bus service.

The Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA) ordered 19 new buses around a month after the inauguration. The buses from China Volvo would arrive in Karachi by June 20, reaching Lahore 10 days later.

“We ordered new buses because of the high passenger load,” said PMBA Operations General Manager Uzair Shah. The fleet’s expansion would mean that the buses would not be overcrowded, he added.

Some 45 buses were operational on the bus-only track on Ferozepur Road, but the authorities have so far failed to devise an efficient traffic plan for the eight junctions where the bus interacted with general traffic. Thus, the PMBA has struggled to run the buses at fixed intervals as planned.

Further, the PMBA recently received a feasibility report from the Turkish company Ulasim for a second potential Metro Bus line from Thokar Niaz Beg to MAOCollege along Multan Road, a length of 12.6 kilometres.

Ulasim is also working on a feasibility study for a third line from Azadi Chowk to the Ring Road via the City Railway Station and Daroghewala along GT Road. The report is due in some 30 days.

Uzair Shah said that the report for line 2 was a preliminary one and it would likely undergo several changes, so he did not wish to share it.He said that the new Punjab government would decide which route to start work on first.

Passengers on the Metro Bus are currently charged a flat rate of Rs 20 per journey. A PMBA official said that the authority would advise the new government to set destination-specific fares, according the rates notified by the Lahore Transport Authority (LTA).

According to the LTA rates, the maximum ticket price would be Rs 36 for travelling the length of the 27km track.

Shah said that the new government would decide whether to revise the rates or not. He said that cards had been introduced for regular travellers in February shortly after the bus service was inaugurated.