KP govt seals Rs3.2bn deal with Chinese firm to expand Peshawar BRT fleet

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has clinched a deal with Chinese company, Golden Dragon, for the purchase of new buses for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service.

Under the agreement, Golden Dragon will provide two 12-metre-long buses free of cost, while the provincial government will purchase 50 additional 12-metre buses.

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Transport, Rangaiz Khan confirmed the development to HUM News English, saying the provincial cabinet had approved the agreement with Golden Dragon in its meeting last Friday.

According to him, the provincial government will buy 50 buses, while the company will supply two buses free of cost under the deal.

Sources said the new fleet of 50 buses will be deployed on Khyber Road, Ring Road, and Bara Road.

In 2018, the provincial government had purchased 220 buses — comprising both 12-metre and 18-metre-long vehicles — from Golden Dragon

Peshawar BRT to get 50 new buses worth Rs 3.5b

Later, another 24 buses were added to the BRT service to address shortages.

Sources added that the 50 new buses will be procured under the same 2017-18 agreement with Golden Dragon at a cost of USD 155,530 per bus, amounting to a total of Rs3.2 billion.

The procurement process is expected to be completed within six months, which will result in savings of $ 2 million.

The two buses being supplied free of cost by Golden Dragon for the BRT service are valued at Rs88 million, according to sources.

On July 14, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had conditionally approved the purchase of 50 new buses for the Peshawar BRT project from Golden Dragon.

The provincial cabinet had demanded that the Chinese company provide two buses worth Rs88 million free of cost before the purchase was done.

Currently, 244 buses operate on 18 routes of the Peshawar BRT, while there is a demand for 300 additional buses to cover 24 new routes, according to government officials.