RAWALPINDI - Metro Bus Service (MBS) would facilitate over 200,000 commuters using public transport daily and the project would bring revolution in the public transport sector.
Chairman Metro Bus Project Monitoring and Implementation Committee Hanif Abbasi said this while talking to APP. He said that 64 air-conditioned buses would initially ply on the Rawalpindi-Islamabad route. Metro Bus Service project has been completed in a record period with the objective of providing an international standard mass transit system to the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, he added.
Peshawar Morr Interchange is a separate component of the project as it will provide signal-free roads for Kashmir Highway users and for this purpose the federal government is spending Rs 6.17 billion. Four underpasses are providing free way to metro bus from Rawalpindi to Secretariat, he said. Hanif Abbasi said the government was determined to start the bus within shortest possible timeframe to provide modern travelling facilities to the citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. He said that 24 kilometres long Metro Bus Service will be signal-free.
The Metro Bus Authority would not only run the bus service but will also handle other issues including security and providing ambulance service in case of an accident, he added. The CCTV cameras have been installed on the elevated road and main route of the bus service will be monitored from the command and control centre.
Abbasi said that Metro Bus Project is a gift of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. He said the project was delayed due to sit-ins in the federal capital and harsh weather conditions.
Ten bus stations have been constructed in Rawalpindi while 14 stations are for Islamabad. Every bus station has state-of-the-art facilities like screen doors, lifts, electronic stairs, ticket stations and automatic platforms. He said a total 83 elevators and escalators have been installed on the bus stations in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from Saddar to Pakistan Secretariat.