Routes announced for Karachi’s double-decker bus service

KARACHI: Karachi will induct five diesel-fueled double-decker buses and 34 electric buses in its public transport system in January next year, Sindh provincial government sources told a news agency.

The Sindh government has earlier imported a total of 39 buses from China costing Rs. 3 billion. The imported fleet includes five double-decker buses and 34 electric buses. The vehicles have all reached the city of Karachi and are currently being cleared at the Karachi Port Trust.

As per the authorities, the launch of these buses will take place on the roads of the city after the clearance procedure. According to the Sindh Mass Transit Authority, the double-decker buses will run on the route of Shahrah-e-Faisal between Model Colony and Tower.

Each double-decker can transport a maximum of 115 to 120 passengers, in addition to having air-conditioning. It also has adjustable rooftop sections, where in case of rainy or summer weather, the section can stay closed, while in fair weather, it will be opened.

Sindh Transport Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, is set to officially launch the new vehicles at an event to be arranged during the launching phase, scheduled to occur around January.

The addition of double-decker buses brings back the service to Karachi after many decades, as the city operated these buses last in the 1960s and 1970s.