Senator Tarar Unveils E-Bus Infrastructure Plans

APP

Islamabad: Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, informed the Upper House of Parliament on Friday that 30 electric buses from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) were safely docked at the Convention Center, designated as their initial terminal and depot, with proper charging and maintenance infrastructure in place.

Responding to Senator Fawzia Arshad’s query about the CDA’s delay in establishing depots for public transport buses arriving from China in the coming months and measures taken to protect the vehicles, the Minister noted that this was the first batch of buses received from China, with two more batches forthcoming.

Senator Tarar explained that the Chinese company had installed charging stations capable of charging 12 buses simultaneously within three hours, sufficient to manage the entire fleet.

He mentioned that the soft launch was today, and all measures were in place, inviting members of the House to travel in the newly inducted E-Buses.

Additionally, a charging facility at the Bus Depot in Sector H-9 was being developed to accommodate the second batch of 70 electric buses and would become operational after one month of mandatory driver training.

The bus depots at Taramri, I-9/H-9, and Zero Point were tendered twice, but the bids received were significantly higher than estimated, leading to their cancellation. 

These depots will be tendered again shortly and are expected to be completed within five months, according to Senator Tarar. 

In response to Senator Humayun Mohmand’s supplementary query, he clarified that transport is a devolved subject, and the federal government can only operate E-Buses within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Senator Tarar added that the federal government is promoting a shift to renewable energy and has introduced policies favoring solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs).

The import of luxury vehicles beyond 2500cc has been capped to prioritize basic-level relaxation for the common masses, encouraging small users to opt for EVs. He emphasized that the future is in EVs, and the policy promotes E-Buses for their environmental benefits and potential to save fuel and foreign exchange.

Earlier, Senator Danesh Kumar asked about the safety measures in place to mitigate risks of blasts or accidents at the facility.

Senator Humayun Mohmand praised the induction of E-Buses into the mass transit fleet as a positive step towards focusing on public transport and shifting to E-Buses. He inquired about the prospects of a nationwide rollout of E-Buses across the country.