Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched the Metro Green Electric Bus Service in Multan on Thursday. She arrived at the ceremony riding one of the new buses herself.
The event was held at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture. Earlier the same day, she had opened a new cancer hospital in the city.
Buses, Fares, and Free Rides
Multan's bus service starts with 60 buses. The fleet will grow to 160 within a few weeks.
The fare is a flat Rs 20 per ride. Women, students, senior citizens, and people with disabilities can ride for free. The buses have ramps so wheelchair users can board with ease.
Each bus comes with free Wi-Fi, phone charging ports, air conditioning, and CCTV cameras for passenger safety.
The chief minister said this is only the start. Punjab plans to have 3,000 electric buses running by June 2027. Of these, 1,500 buses will reach 91 tehsils starting January 2027, and 1,100 more have been ordered for smaller districts.
A Faster Road to Vehari
The chief minister also pointed to the newly rebuilt Multan-Vehari road. The 180-kilometre road was repaired at a cost of Rs 35 billion.
She called it a dangerous road in the past. Travel time between the two cities has now been cut in half, down to just over an hour.
She added that 50,000 kilometres of roads have been built across Punjab during her time in office.
