Islamabad is set to welcome a cutting-edge electric bus service with the arrival of 30 electric buses from China next month, as revealed by officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in a meeting chaired by Chairman Anwarul Haq.
The CDA officials shared plans to import a total of 160 electric buses from China, with the initial 30 buses scheduled to arrive in January and the remaining in February and March.
Chairman CDA emphasized the timely arrival of the buses and directed officials to ensure a smooth process. The electric bus service is slated to be officially launched shortly after the first fleet’s arrival, operating on 13 routes across the federal capital.
In addition to the bus service, the CDA is set to commence the construction of the main bus depot at Zero Point along Srinagar Highway towards the H-8 side in the coming days. The construction, expected to take six months, will be followed by the development of three more bus depots.
The bidding process for the depot construction, conducted under 42(f) of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in October, allowed only government-run construction firms to participate for swift completion.
The National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) will be responsible for operating the buses on the designated routes, receiving Rs. 306 to Rs. 331 per kilometer from CDA.
The bus service will cover 11 routes across Islamabad:
- Police Foundation/Orange Line Station to Red Line Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station in I-8
- Allama Iqbal Station to Red Line Potohar Station
- Pims to Secretariat
- D-12 to G-10
- F-11 to Red Line F-8 Station
- G-11 to Pims
- Aabpara to Tramri Chowk
- Nilor to Khanna Pul
- Pirwadhai Chowk to Faizabad
- B-17 to 26 Number Chungi
- I-16 to 26 Number
This initiative follows the directives of former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who, during his tenure, inaugurated metro bus services such as Orange Line, Green Line, and Blue Line, marking a significant step in Islamabad’s public transportation infrastructure development.
