Needs of a large population
Economic development coupled with population increase in the past two decades stimulated the mobility of people; hence demand for an efficient transport system increased by the day. Keeping in view the unwieldy traffic situation in different metropolitan cities, the government of Pakistan decided to introduce the Rapid Bus Transit System (RBTS), initiated from Lahore, to reduce the traffic load from the roads as well as serve as an efficient and respectable transportation for the citizenry. This system of transportation is very effectively, being run in several countries of the world, but the government of Pakistan has introduced the Turkish model for this project. According to official sources of the Metro Bus Authority, mass transit systems actuate from larger to smaller cities; this is the reason why Metro Project was initiated from Lahore and will extend to different cities. Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro, named Pakistan-Metro, has recently been inaugurated and by the end next June Metro-Multan will be operational as well.
The infrastructure of the Metro Bus has been designed to support the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system which would be inevitable in next 12 to 15 years because of the increase in the population
The infrastructure of the Metro Bus has been designed to support the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system which would be inevitable in next 12 to 15 years because of the increase in the population. Therefore it is envisaged that the Metro Bus system will be replaced by LRT in future. It is also pertinent to mention here that instead of Metro Bus if LRT would have been introduced in the first place the cost would have been eight times more than the cost of Metro Bus project.
There is strong criticism against the Metro bus projects by some opposition leaders, and it is being claimed that the project will not be able to sustain for too long. However, the tool of gauging viability of any project is the sustainability analysis, which reveals a totally different picture.
Some of the key parameters of sustainability analysis include: relevancy, acceptability, and economic and financial viability. Relevancy is the presence or absence of gaps between the project and national or provincial priorities. Metro Bus System (MBS), initiative of the Punjab government, was aimed at improving the traffic conditions of Lahore and other metropolitan cities in the province and provide people with an efficient and safe transportation system, which justifies the relevancy of the project without a shadow of doubt. Acceptability refers to the acceptability of the project by the community which is directly or indirectly affected by the project. Ridership of more than one hundred thousand commuters in Lahore as well as in Islamabad establishes the acceptability of the project. Economic viability includes the benefits attributable to the implementation of the project. In the case of Metro Bus, like any other project, the benefits can be classified as: tangible or direct and intangible. The tangible benefits are: (a). Vehicle Operating Cost (VOC) savings due to improved operating speeds of Metro Buses as compared to the previous bus service. (b). Travel time cost savings due to improved operating speeds of Metro Buses as compared to the previous bus service. Second type of benefit is intangible or indirect which refer to those benefits which are socially desirable but non-quantifiable in monetary terms. Based on the interview conducted personally of more than thirty individuals following intangible benefits have emerged: travel comfort, reduced tension, low levels of air pollution because of reduction in traffic, better health of people hence less medicines to be imported, employment opportunities during the construction and operational stage, increase in the prices and rent of properties in the surrounding areas of metro bus, extra time available to sleep in the morning because people do not have to get early in the morning to find the vehicle for transportation.
Metro Bus System (MBS), initiative of the Punjab government, was aimed at improving the traffic conditions of Lahore and other metropolitan cities in the province and provide people with an efficient and safe transportation system
Metro Bus Project is providing an efficient and respectable transportation facility to the citizens of Lahore along with several tangible and intangible benefits. Though the government of Punjab is always under criticism for providing such a huge percentage of subsidy but the economic benefits associated with this project make it viable I the long run. This project has been designed, as per Metro officials, for a period of approximately 12-15 years and acts as a forerunner of LRT. People benefitting from this service have expressed a tremendous amount of satisfaction over this project. Such transport systems are vital for addressing the transportation need of a huge population.