Women, students, senior citizens and persons with disabilities will travel free of cost on Punjab’s first electric bus service, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced on Monday while inaugurating the project in Sahiwal.
After riding one of the new buses herself, the chief minister called the initiative “a milestone in modern and affordable public transport.” She said 30 buses have been allocated for the city and 62 for the division, with the regular fare set at Rs20 for other passengers.
Punjab Transport and Mass Transit Minister Bilal Akbar Khan said 16 buses will run initially on four routes, carrying more than 25,000 passengers daily.
Each vehicle features Wi-Fi, CCTV cameras, charging ports, ramps for differently abled passengers and a separate women’s compartment, supported by a new charging station in Sahiwal.
Separately, Punjab CM inaugurated eco-friendly electric buses in Sargodha. She stated that 60 electric buses will run in Sargodha city and 105 buses have been allocated for the four districts of the Sargodha division, which include Bhakkar, Mianwali, and Khushab.
There will be dedicated seating areas for women, and the fare for the electric bus service will be set at Rs 20 for males. It will offer free travel to children, students, women, and senior citizens, she said.
48 buses have arrived in Sarghoda as of September 17th, and five bays at the General Bus Stand have been vacated to make space.
For now, 33 buses will run as phase one of the bus rollout, with an additional 15 in phase two, according to a reporter working for Express Tribune.
A temporary charging station has been established in Sargodha; however, the existence of only one charging station may cause logistical difficulties, he adds. The Government has allocated an area near Chak 91 for the establishment of a permanent charging port, which a separate local third party will install.
Distribution of buses across tehsils will be as follows: 10 each for Bhalwal, Bhera, and Kot Momin, 9 for Sillanwali. Five separate routes in Sargodha city have already been decided, with all of them originating from Chak 91 and going to Bhalwal/Bhera, Sillanwali, Kot Momin, Tehsil Sahiwal, and Shahpur city.
The government plans on releasing funds to establish another bus terminal at Chak 90 South.
News Published in Express Tribune on September 24, 2025.
