BRT prototype bus reaches Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The prototype bus of Bus Rapid Transport had made its way to Peshawar, said an official on Wednesday.

"I am glad that finally after a lot of struggle, the prototype bus makes its way to Peshawar," said Shahzad Khan Bangash, Additional Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who is also chairman of the TransPeshawar Board of Directors. "This is just a demo version which has been already tested in China but we need additional testing as per the conditions of Peshawar," he added. It is one of 12-meter-long 155 buses which will be run on the main corridor as well as the direct service (feeder) routes of Peshawar BRT project.

A total of 220 buses will be purchased by TransPeshawar for the project. Out of these 155 are 12-meter-long buses while 65 are 18-meter-long buses. First of its kind, these buses are hybrid and can run on diesel as well as electric. These buses are environment-friendly and tend to reduce carbon emission in the city.

A communication said according to a careful estimate by the Asian Development Bank, BRT Peshawar, once implemented, will reduce 31000 tons of Co2 emissions when compared to the existing transport system of Peshawar.

These buses will be wifi-enabled with AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) facility - a feature to track the real-time location of the bus. A significant feature of the BRT buses is UAS - Universal Access System, which is one of the key factors used to globally rate/ evaluate BRT systems.

Consisting of low floor and ramps for wheelchairs, BRT Peshawar buses will be fully equipped to handle people with disabilities. As per cultural needs of the region, the buses also have a separate compartment for women.

TransPeshawar is a company set up under Section 42 of the company's ordinance, 1984, responsible for the BRT project design, procurement, implementation, on-going BRT operations and service contract management in Peshawar.