The first 45-seat CNG bus of the 100 buses fleet for the Peshawar City arrived on Sunday to ply on the executive route between General Bus Stand and Hayatabad Township. The buses are being imported from China through a local transport company, the Wisdom Alliance. These are manufactured by the Yuma Aircraft Manufacturers, China.
City District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali, who was chief guest on the occasion inaugurated the service with the cutting of the ribbon in front of the bus here at the Gas Zone CNG Station. Wisdom Alliance Chief Executive Akbar Ali while speaking on the occasion, said initially, the company would import 100 buses which would be run on the different routes of the provincial metropolis and by the end of 2008, the fleet would be raised to 700.
He said that for the running of the transport service a tripartite agreement had been signed among the City District Government Peshawar (CDGP), the Wisdom Alliance, and the operator of the company. He said that the CDGP has fixed the fare of the bus and a special committee has also been constituted to monitor it.
Speaking on the occasion, City District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali said: "We have completed the process of the launching of an environment-friendly transport service for the people of the city. He was of the view that the agreement with the operator has been signed in consultation and cooperation with the provincial government.
He said the service would be formally launched by NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani in next few days. He termed the service a big relief for the provincial government for the people of the province in general and Peshawar city in particular. The City Nazim said that the buses would run on prescribed routes with specific stops which would help promote respect and implementation of the traffic laws by both the drivers and the commuters.
Gul & Co Chairman Shahzad Akhtar, the operator of the transport company, said the country requires about 15,000 buses, which he said would be fulfilled before 2010.