Peshawar BRT to get 50 new buses worth Rs 3.5b

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to procure 50 additional buses worth Rs3.5 billion for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar — a multi-billion-rupee initiative launched by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government — starting from the fiscal year 2025-26.

The decision was taken during the 42nd board meeting of TransPeshawar, held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary P&D Akram Khan.

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. 

Islamic University bus rams into motorcycle, killing woman on the spot

However, sources suggested that the board of directors of TransPeshawar, the company overseeing the project, has recommended following Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (KPPRA) guidelines instead of directly purchasing the buses from Chinese firm Golden Dragon. 

The meeting was attended by Secretary Transport, Transport Commissioner Peshawar, MD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority, CEO TransPeshawar, DG Peshawar Development Authority, Additional Secretary Finance, and other board members. 

According to sources, the meeting discussed the need to acquire more buses to operationalise additional BRT routes.

The board was informed that the contract with Golden Dragon includes provisions for supplying necessary equipment for the project. However, after extensive discussions, the board deferred the decision to directly procure buses from the Chinese firm, sources said.

The board approved various measures to ensure a transparent procurement process for the 50 new 12-meter buses for the Peshawar BRT and recommended following KPPRA guidelines.

PM Shehbaz reaffirms commitment to Trans Afghan Railway Project

It was also decided that the final approval would be sought from the provincial cabinet, a move unanimously endorsed by the board. 

Efforts were made to seek comments from TransPeshawar CEO Murtaza Haider regarding the board’s decision, but he was unreachable.

Last year, the KP government had announced plans to discontinue the annual subsidy of billions of rupees to the Peshawar BRT project. The decision came after the project had consistently drained the provincial treasury, leaving the project’s future uncertain.