Bangash says BRT to receive Rs2.8 billion subsidy

PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Higher Education and KP government spokesman Kamran Bangash on Thursday said the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project would receive Rs2.8 billion subsidy for the financial year 2021-22.

Through a statement, he said that BRT ridership was far higher than the other mass transit services in the country. He said that over 160,000 passengers use BRT on a daily basis.

He said that Lahore Metro received Rs4.1 billion subsidy, Multan Metro Rs 3.6 billion while the Orange Line Metro Train received Rs 8 billion subsidy from the Punjab government, adding the mass transit across the world depended on subsidies.

The special assistant said the fare of the BRT was the lowest in the country which starts from Rs 10 while the average fare is Rs20.

He said the fares were kept low as mass transit were aimed to facilitate the poor segments of the society.

Kamran Bangash said the passengers, especially women, used to rent cabs that would cost them in the range of Rs300 to 400 before the inauguration of BRT.

He said the government would reduce the subsidy to Rs one billion. after the completion of the depots, making the two feeder routes functional and relaxing the COVID restrictions.

The special assistant said that BRT had collected Rs730 million as fares during the COVID.

He said that BRT was receiving less subsidy as compared to such projects in other parts of the country but was providing services to more passengers.