he Pink Bus is out once again on several routes in Islamabad.

The service has been enabled by the conversion of 20 buses of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to pink buses. It is not a new fleet. The aim is to start a “reliable, safe and free of charge” transportation service to students and teachers of the city as well as those coming from the outskirts.

Pink Buses are now plying on ten routes in the capital city. They serve residents of Taxila, Rawat, Peer Wadhai and Chak Shahzad.

The ministry started this service in coordination with the district administration following complaints of limited transportation options available to female students and teachers.

“The buses will be a welcome addition to Islamabad’s transportation system. These will fill the gap between urban and non-urban areas in order to promote education in the latter,” says a statement released by the MOFEPT.

The slogan of the service is “Na Dar, Na Rokawat [No Fear, No Barrier].” The scheme, first announced in May this year, has drawn a mixed reaction from commuters.

“It is a good step towards facilitating women. The service is exclusive and safe,” says Maha Hassan, a regular commuter. “However, sometimes we have to wait for long just for this bus,” she says. Maha says the government needs to provide more buses for a more reliable service.

“Women often travel in fear or face harassment in public buses. The Pink Bus service will provide them with a safe environment,” says an official.

An official tells The News on Sunday on condition of anonymity that the department does not have enough buses. “There was already a shortage of buses. Reserving some of the buses for the pink fleet has made this problem worse,” he says.

Some of the commuters have said that rather than operating on general routes, the buses should have allocated to specific educational institutions.

A number of the buses in the ministry’s fleet are not currently functional, says an official.

Earlier in May, the plan to start this service drew flak from certain segments and was dismissed as ‘publicity stunt.’ Students on some of the routs say they had to pay Rs 4,000 per month at least to get to their educational institutes.

A ministry spokesman says that out of around 385 buses in the city, as many as 75 buses remain idle. 20 of the buses, he says, were picked from these for the Pink Bus initiative.

According to ministry officials, women other than students and teachers will be allowed on board subject to space.

Pink Buses were first introduced in Karachi, early this year, without a focus on students. However, in Islamabad the initiative focuses on rural areas and female teachers and students.

The writer is a staff member. He tweets at @waqargillani