I was in Peshawar for work and decided to use the infamous Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)....
BRT
A developing country like Pakistan can be measured in its progression pretty accurately from its public transport efficiency. Not to mention how good for the environment public transportation is. The less we have carbon monoxide producing vehicles travelling by road, the more we’ll help the ozone layer heal.
I was in Peshawar for work and decided to use the infamous Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). It was a weekday, and I started my journey from Chamkani using the ZU Peshawar card for travelling. You can also download the ZU Peshawar mobile app for even more convenient access to information and other unique features.
The station was cleaner beyond expectation, and the staff in uniform was present, including female security, fleet, and janitorial. I took my turn from the door marked for female passengers. There were options for taking the express route or the stopping route. I took the latter, which stopped at every station, and I got off at Karkhano Bazaar. To my surprise, there were women of all age – young, old, mothers, and grandmothers without escorts – getting on the bus at each stop following the SOPs in their customary burqas, hijabs, dupattas, or chadors. The buses were clean and modern, something that you’d only expect when abroad. It’s cheap, accessible, and ever so convenient for the public.
Peshawar's metro area population is almost 2.7 million in 2021, with a growth rate of 3.1 per cent increase from 2020. The BRT provides high-frequency services with multiple routes. BRT vehicles travel a designated corridor in the city’s busiest parts and have also added off-corridor travel. The feeder busses stop in front of all the major universities, and routes cover all major government and private hospitals.
• 27 km dedicated corridor with off corridor routes connection.
• 30 Stations along the corridor at an average distance of 900m
• Two depots and one staging facility with commercial activities and park & ride facilities
• Seven corridor and off corridor routes with coverage of 68km of route length
• 220 diesel hybrid environmental friendly buses- 65 Articulated and 155-13m air-conditioned, universally accessible vehicles
• Comfortable rides, friendly staff, and buses arrived after every two minutes
• Truly Integrated project in terms of off corridor routes and on corridor routes and fare
• Provision of Mobile app for journey planning and payment
The KP transport department founded TransPeshawar in 2013 based on the study conducted on mass transportation. TransPeshawar is funded by the Cities Development Initiative for Asia, a development programme by the Asian Development Bank. TransPeshawar also has a contract with a scraping company for buying the old public mini busses still running on the roads and scraping them out entirely.
TransPeshawar outsources its services to the private sectors. The two responsible companies in the BRT’s daily running are Daewoo – the vehicle operating company, and LMKR for ITS (Intelligent Transport System). LMKR is also responsible for security and station management (no wonder the buses and stations are spick and span because it’s with the private sector).
Regarding congestion being a significant issue of urban Peshawar, the BRT programme has accomplished it by isolating the BRT vehicles’ path. They’ve been given a separate road that’s blocked off from both sides to ensure only a BRT bus can use it. These isolated pathways lead to all essential parts of Peshawar, comprising of 31 stations to do so. The corridor path in question stretches to 27 km, with approximately 900m between each station. This also includes an 8 km flyover and a 3 km underpass.
Suppose we address the elephant in the room that is harassment and security risk to the women in their daily commute, especially prevalent in the working female populace. Projects like the BRT are what we need to ensure these women's safe travel across the country. Not only to efficiently get them to work and back home on time, but also to ensure they can do so without fear or discomfort.
“Never before have I worked in such an inclusive environment where women are hired at management positions based on their qualification,” said Mehdiya Ahmer, Fleet Management Specialist-TransPeshawar. I bumped into her as she was leaving her morning shift.
At the Hashtnagri stop, a young girl wearing a labcoat got on the bus with her notebook and bag. I asked her when she has started using BRT. She told me that her parents allowed her to further her studies at the Health School Nishtarabad after the BRT launch. “I take this route every day,” she informed.
That made me think about my city, Karachi. I was born and raised there, now living in Islamabad, and was in Peshawar using BRT. Karachi has no decent public transport whereas Peshawar has top of the line public transport serving the people, especially women. If anything, Karachi, with a gargantuan population (rivalling even some countries), is in dire need of efficient and reliable public transportation like BRT.
Ruby Gul is a travel enthusiast and writes on tourism.
She can be reached at ruby.gul.afridi@gmail.com
