In August last year, the Punjab government announced that environmentally friendly electric buses would be launched in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. On November 6, Chief Minister Parvez Elahi said that Lahore would soon have electric buses. While such announcements and sound-bites have been heard a good few times in recent past, the fact is that an electric bus has already begun what is said to be a test journey — from City Railway Station to Valencia.

Currently, the bus makes two rounds between the railway station and Valencia. The Punjab Transport Company (PTC) is supervising the experimental run of the bus, which is an initiative of Sapphire Power Generation Limited (SPGL) in collaboration with the Chinese automaker BYD. The SPGL has partnered with Chinese BYD to construct an EV manufacturing facility in Pakistan, while BYD is well known for its all-electric commercial vehicle range and has a global presence.

Last week, this scribe took a ride on the new bus up till the Liberty Market stop. The idea was to get a feel of the city’s first e-bus. “Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen,” the voice of Malik Zaheer Abbas, a PTC instructor and driver, boomed across the bus. “You’re on an e-bus, which is ecologically sensitive and prioritises passengers’ and driver’s safety. Under your seats lie airbags that may be used in the event of an emergency…”

As the smog season reaches its peak and the air pollution soars to hazardous levels, vehicles that do not emit harmful gases are the need of the hour. To quote PTC’s acting CEO, Abdul Qayyum, the test run is a modest step in the right direction. “Studies indicate that the future belongs to the electric vehicles (EVs). Most of the world’s parking lots will have just EVs by 2030,” he tells TNS.

“The PTC is aware of the state of affairs,” he adds. “Hence, it has conducted a feasibility assessment, details of which shall be released soon.”

Asked if the PTC is also considering operating electric buses, Qayyum says, “Of course, why not? There will be e-buses, as the CM has stated.”

He argues that while e-buses require a major investment, their fuel and maintenance efficiency made them a worthy choice. “Their strongest feature is that they leave little or no carbon footprint. Without a doubt, the PTC’s current fleet is environmentally sustainable, but we shall follow government’s guidelines in introducing the e-buses too. The government is very serious about providing efficient, passenger- and environment-friendly public transportation in urban areas.”

He says that the PTC is going to launch a commuter-oriented mobile app that would provide information regarding bus timings, travel durations, routes etc.

The CEO of PTC revealed that the company was going to launch a commuter-oriented mobile app that would provide information regarding bus timings, travel durations, routes etc.

Mohsin Ali, who commutes from Kotha Pind in Faisal Town to Shimla Pahari every day, says he’s travelled by the e-bus a couple of times and was pleased. Though, he does not see it as making a significant change: “As much as I am happy that we now have green public transport, I am not sure that it can inspire change.”

According to Abdul Qayyum, the PTC is working in tandem with environment officials to check traffic-related pollution. Besides, smoke-emitting automobiles on provincial roads are constantly being monitored.

For Malik Zaheer Abbas, driving a bus that is powered by charged batteries is a relief. “In Valencia, the bus company has set up a battery charging station. The batteries recharge in two hours flat, and they last for 450 kilometres.”

The Sindh government has also launched an electric bus fleet. It is currently operating on test run in Karachi. More cities are expected to adopt this mode of transportation for the public.

That said, the new buses could come with their own set of problems. Dr Muhammad Zaman, the founding chairman of the Department of Sociology at Quaid-i-Azam University, thinks the best solution to commuters’ woes is to “pool the available resources.”

He says that over the years, successive governments have been adding buses to the major cities of Pakistan — in the name of public transport. “They have done no service to the nation. The bulk of those buses only contributed to traffic gridlocks and air pollution. There’s a need to minimise the number of automobiles plying on our roads, which can only be achieved by combining the resources already in place.”

Dr Hassan Shehzad, who is engaged in the HEC’s mega project on road safety and public transport, supports the addition of electric buses to Lahore roads, calling it “a good sign.” He adds, “A couple of years ago, Islamabad had the country’s first electric taxi. Besides, EVs were introduced on Margalla Hills to protect the environment. But there are issues to deal with. For instance, the hurdles caused by excise officials in registration of EVs that do not have engines or engine numbers. Secondly, there is a need to hire professional staff for the new bus service. Cleanliness of bus terminals and digitisation of the ticketing process will make this service sustainable.”

The Excise Department is said to be planning to register the EVs’ unique battery in excise registration documents. The government will look into the issue when more and more EVs hit the city roads.

The writer takes interest in urban planning and transport issues