Summary Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz announced 100,000 subsidized e-bikes for students on easy installments and approved the launch of 1,500 electric buses across 91 tehsils.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has once again decided to introduce e-bikes for young students on the easiest installment plans, aiming to improve mobility and access to affordable transport across the province.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Transport and Mass Transit Department chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The meeting was informed that Punjab has achieved another milestone by establishing an electric bus manufacturing industry. An assembling plant in Punjab has started assembling electric buses, marking a major step forward as the province is now not only operating buses but also manufacturing them.
The chief minister approved the reintroduction of the e-bike scheme for students, under which 100,000 e-bikes will be provided within one year. The Punjab government will offer a subsidy of Rs70,000 on each e-bike, while male students will need to pay a down payment of Rs14,000 to obtain one.
For female students, Maryam Nawaz will personally cover the down payment and registration fee for e-bikes. Students will only be required to pay a monthly interest-free installment of Rs2,100. Government employees in Punjab will also be eligible to obtain e-bikes on easy installment plans.
It was further announced that 1,500 buses will be operated across 91 tehsils in the divisions of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad and Sargodha.
In the first phase, 1,500 buses will begin operations in 91 tehsils across Punjab. PC-1 approval has also been granted for the procurement of 1,500 electric buses at the tehsil level, while 189 new electric buses in various districts are ready for soft launching.
Maryam Nawaz also indicated that the inauguration may be conducted online and directed the immediate launch of electric bus services in Kot Addu, Talagang and Taunsa Sharif.
Orders were also issued to begin bus services in Vehari and Lodhran, while the number of electric buses in Vehari, Lodhran and Nankana Sahib is also set to be increased.
Maryam Nawaz said buses should also be sent to areas where fewer than 15 buses are currently operating, adding that every area should have at least 15 buses. She said Punjab has successfully introduced electric buses along with a manufacturing industry for the sector.
