MULTAN: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated an electric bus service in Multan with a standard fare of just Rs20, while travel will be completely free for women, students, persons with disabilities and citizens above 60 years of age.
Addressing the launch ceremony, the chief minister said the green bus service is being expanded to the farthest corners of Punjab so that people across the province can benefit from modern and affordable travel.
Fares and Free Travel
Under the new service, the regular fare has been fixed at Rs20. For public convenience, travel will be 100 percent free for:
- Women passengers.
- Male and female students.
- Persons with disabilities.
- Senior citizens above 60 years of age.
Transport analysts note that fare-free travel for these groups can substantially improve access to education, jobs and healthcare in cities where affordable and safe transport is often limited.
Maryam Nawaz said green electro buses will operate on all routes in Multan.
Multan is one of Punjab’s largest cities and the commercial hub of South Punjab. Its growing population has placed pressure on older transport options, including crowded wagons and rickshaws.
The buses are equipped with wheelchair access and ramps for persons with disabilities, and CCTV cameras have been installed for the safety of women passengers.
The chief minister said every person living in Punjab is her responsibility, adding that under her government no one will travel on the roof of a bus, a reference to the dangerous overcrowding common on local routes.
The Multan launch is part of the Punjab government’s broader programme to extend environment-friendly buses beyond Lahore. In July, the service was launched in Layyah, Chiniot, Sialkot, Okara and Murree, and the provincial government has set a target of operating 5,000 electric buses across Punjab over five years.
Electric buses produce no tailpipe emissions, making them an important tool against air pollution, which regularly reaches hazardous levels in Punjab’s cities during the winter smog season.
The shift also has an energy dimension. As Pakistan faces pressure on imported fuel, electric public transport can reduce dependence on petrol and diesel.
The chief minister also highlighted advances in healthcare, saying a modern cancer treatment machine had been brought from China for Mayo Hospital Lahore, and that she had just inaugurated the second such machine in Punjab in Multan.
She said two women had been treated with the machine, that she had spoken with them, and that their treatment was completed in 45 minutes.
For South Punjab, where patients have often had to travel to Lahore for advanced treatment, local access to modern cancer care could ease both the financial and physical burden on families.
At the same event, the chief minister responded to criticism over the use of the official aircraft for her London trip, the cost of which she has now paid.
Urban planners say the long-term success of the service will depend on reliable schedules, well-maintained charging infrastructure and integration with other modes of transport.
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