CM KP launches pink bus service for women, inaugurates hybrid buses

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Tuesday formally inaugurated new hybrid buses, the Pink Bus Service for women, solarisation of Chamkani Depot and the newly established Mall of Hayatabad Depot.
Addressing the ceremony at Mall of Hayatabad Depot, he said he had promised pink buses for women across the province and they were now on roads. He announced women travelling on pink buses would be charged 25 per cent lower fare than other buses.
Appreciating women drivers of the pink bus service, the chief minister said they were role models for other women.
He said KP was a Pakhtun society where respect for women and elders, compassion towards children and patriotism were deeply rooted. No one could conceive of violating sanctity of homes and women in the province, he added.
Referring to the long march scheduled for Oct 4, Mr Afridi said it would be the largest long march in Pakistan’s history. “I will not retreat from my objective because of any threat or fear. Our objective is true freedom, not power or government,” he said.
He said those who came to power through a public mandate thought about people and did not purchase aircraft worth Rs11 billion or vehicles with purple-coloured interiors. He also criticised the federal government for purchasing bulletproof vehicles worth Rs6bn for three-day ECO conference, saying such vehicles could have been hired.
On law and order, he said establishment of lasting peace in the province was a priority. Those making decisions behind closed doors and those who had turned the province into an experimental ground would be brought to the table, he said.
Earlier, officials briefed the ceremony that BRT service was providing daily transportation to around 250,000 commuters, about 30pc of whom were women, and was reducing carbon dioxide emissions by around 30,000 tonnes annually.
With addition of 52 new buses, total BRT fleet had increased to 296 buses, which would facilitate opening of additional routes and help reduce passenger pressure.
In first phase, five pink buses would operate on selected routes during peak hours and their number and routes would be gradually expanded. Procurement and construction process for 50 additional buses and a new depot at a cost of Rs6.2bn was under way, while another 50 buses had been included in current ADP at a cost of Rs5bn.
An amount of Rs1.5bn had been allocated for complete solarisation of BRT system. Solarisation of Chamkani Depot would generate annual savings of Rs76 million. A 1 MW solar power system completed at Chamkani Depot would generate 1.44m units of electricity annually.
Earlier, the chief minister travelled with members of public on a BRT bus to attend the ceremony. He waited for bus at BRT station like an ordinary passenger and purchased his own ticket.