Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday approved the relaunch of the provincial government's e-bike scheme for students, under which 100,000 electric motorcycles will be provided on subsidised, interest-free instalment plans over the next year. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Transport and Mass Transit Department chaired by the chief minister.
Electric Bus Assembly Industry Established
The meeting was informed that Punjab had established an electric bus assembly industry, with a local plant beginning the assembly of electric buses. Officials described the development as a significant step towards expanding the province's public transport infrastructure.
Details of the E-Bike Scheme
Under the revived e-bike scheme, the Punjab government will provide a subsidy of Rs70,000 on each electric bike. Male students will be required to make a down payment of Rs14,000, while female students will have their down payment and registration fee covered by the chief minister. Students will then pay monthly interest-free instalments of Rs2,100. Government employees will also be eligible to obtain e-bikes under the scheme.
Expansion of Bus Fleet
The meeting was also told that 1,500 buses would be introduced across 91 tehsils in the divisions of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad and Sargodha in the first phase of the expansion plan. Officials said PC-1 approval had been granted for the procurement of 1,500 electric buses at the tehsil level, while 189 electric buses for various districts were ready for a soft launch.
Immediate Launch in Selected Areas
Maryam directed authorities to immediately launch electric bus services in Kot Addu, Talagang and Taunsa Sharif, and ordered the start of operations in Vehari and Lodhran. She also instructed officials to increase the number of electric buses in Vehari, Lodhran and Nankana Sahib. The chief minister directed that areas with fewer than 15 buses should also be allocated additional vehicles to ensure a minimum fleet of 15 buses in every area. She said the province had made significant progress by introducing electric buses while simultaneously developing a local manufacturing and assembly industry.
