Overview
- The Sindh Mass Transit Authority board and Policy Board approved the purchase and procurement steps for 500 electric buses this week, allocating 450 buses to Karachi and 50 to Hyderabad and publishing tenders to begin the PPP procurement process.
- Officials approved a modern heavy‑vehicle terminal on the Northern Bypass and a dedicated cargo corridor from Karachi Port to the terminal to reduce inner‑city freight traffic and ease congestion.
- The package also cleared measures to expand electric mobility beyond buses, including an EV taxi rollout, 50 double‑deckers for Karachi, five new depots (four in Karachi, one in Hyderabad), and 500 additional pink electric scooters for women.
- Sindh confirmed a biogas plant will be tendered next month under the Red Line project but said the gas will be used for other sectors because bus services are shifting to battery EVs; officials warned that timelines remain tight due to import holds, higher taxes, dollar appreciation and utility NOC delays.
- The expansion builds on earlier Green and Orange Line gains that raised daily ridership and is financed with multilateral backing and government subsidies, with the next steps to watch including bid awards, depot land allocations and the pace of charger and depot construction.