Funds released for 200 electric buses: minister

LAHORE:The Punjab government has released Rs3.4 billion for procurement of 200 eco-friendly electric buses to reduce air pollution.

Chairing a meeting held at Civil Secretariat on Friday in connection with better transport facilities in Punjab, Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht observed that the eco-friendly buses would be run in major industrial and commercial cities of Punjab to control the serious situation of air pollution. He said the buses had been selected which would not only be smoke-free but also be reasonable in operational cost. Other eco-friendly technologies will be used later to reduce air pollution, he said.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Transport Jahanzeb Kachchi, Adviser to Chief Minister on Economic Affairs Dr Salman Shah, Finance Secretary Iftikhar Ali Saho, Planning and Development Secretary Imran Sikandar, transport secretary, Punjab Mass Transit Authority managing director, Chief Executive Officer Lahore Transport and other relevant officers. The transport secretary informed the meeting that electric buses had been used for public transport in developed countries since 2015. The countries in which the electric buses are being used include China, India, Europe and the United States. The major manufacturers of these buses include the companies from France, Germany, China and the United States. He said that under the Electric Vehicle Policy, a target of 1,000 buses was set in Pakistan for the next five years. “We have to complete 50% of our target by 2030,” he said. Provincial Minister for Transport Jahanzeb Kachchi called on the private sector to invest in environment-friendly transport.

The finance minister directed the transport secretary to formulate transport models for Faisalabad and Bahawalpur after Lahore. “Create opportunities for the companies that are aware of use and usefulness of modern technology in view of the future expansion of the scope of electric transport. Green financing can also be used with the subsidised model of transport,” he said.