Lahore Metrobus

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Lahore Metrobus
لاہور میٹرو بس
Overview
SystemLahore Metrobus
OperatorLahore Transport Company
Vehicle66 Buses
Began service11 February 2013; 11 years ago (2013-02-11)
Route
Route typeBus rapid transit
LocaleLahore, Punjab, Pakistan
StartShahdara Terminal
EndGajjumata Terminal
Stops27
Service
Ridership180,000-220,000 [1]
Route map

Shahdara
Niazi Chowk
Timber Market
Azadi Chowk
Bhatti Chowk
Katchery
Civil Secretariat
MAO College Orange Line (Lahore Metro)
Janazgah
Qartaba Chowk
Shama
Ichhra
Canal
Qaddafi Stadium
Kalma Chowk
Model Town
Naseerabad
Itefaq Hospital
Qainchi
Ghazi Chowk
Chungi Amar Sidhu
Kamahan
Atari Saroba
Nishtar Colony
Youhanabad
Dulu Khurd
Gajjumata
Hassan Sulehria form skt
← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →
pma.punjab.gov.pk/lmbs

The Lahore Metrobus is a

Shahbaz Sharif along with Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Bekir Bozdağ
. The second and third stages have been put on hold, as proposals have been put forth to convert the remaining stages to light rail.

History

Lahore Transport Company was established in 1984 to ease the traffic conditions of Lahore and improve bus services. LTC got all the transport responsibilities of traveling in Lahore in December 2009. A BRTS fleet of 650 Buses was introduced. It was given the name "Lahore Bus Company". However, the BRTS did not have dedicated lanes and had to share roads with regular traffic with no right-of-way privileges. This resulted in a system that was a BRTS only in name.

Planning

After 20 years of discussion, the ambitious Lahore Metro, which had first been proposed in 1991 was abandoned in favour of a bus transit system.

Construction

Construction of the project was divided into different packages and was awarded to different contractors. Given to Haji Muhammad Aslam (HMA) and Sons Cranage (Pvt.) Ltd, for all major heavy steel and pillar work, this also included digging into the ground to develop the foundations of the project, and M/s Zahir Khan & Brothers in joint venture with M/s Reliable Engineering Services (Pvt.) Limited constructed the flyover part including two elevated rotaries for BRTS. Construction project started in March 2012 and buses entered service in February 2013. The system, was constructed by the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA), a subsidiary of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) at a cost Rs 29.65 billion.[3] The system was built on the build–operate–transfer basis via the collaboration between the Punjab and the Turkish government.

The system was inaugurated by

Mian Shahbaz Sharif on February 11, 2013, in a ceremony attended by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ, Prime Minister and PML-N ex-chief Nawaz Sharif, as well as ambassadors from many other countries. The Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş, also announced a gift of 100 buses.[4] It is Pakistan's first bus rapid transit
system.

Operation

Lahore MBS currently operates a fleet of 66 buses which were deployed by

Intelligent Transportation System
wand. System operations are managed by the Punjab Metrobus Authority (PMBA), though IT services are handled in coordination with the Punjab IT Board.

Following the initiation ceremony, use of the system was to be free during the first month. However, following a week of chaos and overcrowding, a fare of Rs. 20 (US$0.2) was imposed.[7] Currently, the fare of metro bus is 30 rupees irrespective of the destination.


According to the Lahore Transport Company, the daily ridership of the Metrobus exceeds 180,000 with the peak hourly ridership being 10,000 passengers per hour per direction (p/h/d). Studies conducted by the transport company claim that this figure will increase by 222% to 20,000 p/h/d in 2021.

Design

The Lahore Metrobus meets the criteria laid out by the

Right-of-way.[8] The stations have parking spaces for motorbikes and cycles while the two terminals provide car-parking facilities as well.[9]

Ticketing

Two types of ticketing systems exist at the Metrobus terminals:

Expansion

The Punjab Government in April 2015 approved the expansion of Lahore Metrobus. 15 km track will be added on current route. On Northern end it will be expanded 10 km from

Gajjumata to Kahna.[11]

Incidents

Overheating vehicles, May 2013

During late May 2013, the Metrobuses started to develop an over-heating problem as the temperatures in the city crossed 45

°C. The air-conditioners gave way and the engines started blowing fumes. Passengers had to bear sweltering heat in the congested buses as well as constant stoppages.[12] Punjab Metrobus Authority's public relations officer, Amir Masood, told the media that when the buses were imported the manufacturers, Sweden-based Volvo and China-based Sunwin, were told to provide buses that could remain operational in temperatures approaching 51 °C. When the operation error came to surface, Masood said that the suppliers are being fined and the further import of buses from them is halted. To counter the problem, new air-conditioning units were fitted in the buses in late June 2013.[13]

Related Projects

The

Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metrobus was inaugurated on 4 June 2015 by the Prime Minister.[15]
Multan Metrobus was inaugurated on 24 January 2017 by PM Nawaz Sharif.
Karachi Metrobus is now operational and Faisalabad Metrobus is planned.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Metro muted critics[permanent dead link], The Nation (Pakistan). Retrieved on 21 March 2013
  2. ^ "Metro Bus Lahore Pakistan -Rapid Bus Transport". pakvisit.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  3. ^ Report, Bureau (19 March 2017). "'Peshawar metro bus project costlier than Lahore, Pindi's'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Turkish mayor gifts 100 buses for BRT". Dawn(Newspaper). 12 March 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Albayrak to continue metro bus operation".
  6. ^ "Lahore BRT System Study" (PDF). Lahore Transport Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Hustle of Metro Bus fades after withdrawal of free service". The Nation. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  8. ^ Khan, Gulraiz (21 April 2013). "Metrobus: A folly or far-sighted?". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  9. ^ "PMA - Frequently Asked Questions". Punjab Metrobus Authority. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Travel Cards & Tokens". Punjab Metrobus Authority.
  11. ^ Khan, Rameez (6 August 2013). "Public transport: Govt to order studies on new Metro Bus projects". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  12. ^ Aziz, Umair. "Metro Malfunctions: Imported Buses Can't Bear Local Heat". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  13. ^ Khan, Ramiz (16 June 2013). "Hot in here: Metro buses to test new air-conditioners this week". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Metro bus to hit Pindi, Faisalabad and Multan roads soon". Pakistan Today.
  15. ^ "PM Nawaz Sharif to inaugurate Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro Bus Service Today". The News Teller.
  16. ^ "Shahbaz Sharif Announces Metro Bus Service for Faisalabad". Pakistan Today. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.

External links

The Metrobus Route