Transport for Peshawar

After a long delay, the BRT project for Peshawar is finally up and running. Members of the public rode on the shining new buses along its 27-km route on Independence Day, and of course will be hoping this project will solve the major transport issues Peshawar faces. The Metro system in Lahore and Rawalpindi have both been welcomed by the millions of people who have used them since they were set up. The BRT has been constructed at a cost of about Rs67 billion. This is far higher than the sum of around Rs40 billion originally put forward for the project, when then KP chief minister Pervez Khattak announced in October 2017 that the BRT would be ready in six months. This did not happen and never seemed feasible in any case. Even now it is being pointed out that all the 30 stations along the BRT corridor are not complete and that shopping plazas being constructed alongside the track have also yet to be brought into operation and fully built. The same applies to the bicycle track which is designed to run along the BRT track.

But despite these problems, Peshawar now has a major mass transit system. There have been reports of irregularities in construction which initially led to an investigation being opened up by the FIA but later stopped on judicial orders. The BRT is the only mega scheme on the PTI manifesto and it is therefore important to the party and to the people of Peshawar. The question now is how effective it will be in offering the transport the city needs. Experts have pointed out several design flaws, some of which did not allow buses to cross each other along some portions of the track. There is also concern that with cars also running along the same route, congestion will increase on important thoroughfares such as University Road which forms a central part of Peshawar layout.

The extent of these problems will need to be seen over the coming months as the BRT goes into full operation. The buses brought in from China are currently the pride of the people of Peshawar fitted with Wi-Fi and also fully air-conditioned. A subsidy is likely to be required to ensure that the fares, which range from Rs10 to Rs 50 depending on distance, can be maintained. In the past, the PTI leadership had criticized the Metro system built by the PML-N regime in major cities, terming them a waste of money. That all seems to be a matter of the past now, with both the government and its supporters beaming in pride over the BRT (regardless of any controversy over design and cost). A beaming Prime Minister Imran Khan rode one of the buses as the BRT was inaugurated on August 14. We hope it can improve life for commuters in Peshawar rather than adding to their problems in any way.