The Sindh government has decided to increase the fare of its flagship Peoples Bus Service due to the recent increase in fuel prices.This was announced by Sindh Information and Transport Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon while talking to media persons after he inspected ongoing work on the Red Line corridor of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Karachi.Talking to media, Memon said that Sindh govt has been left with no option but to increase the fares of Peoples Bus Service.
“Due to inflation in the country and increase in diesel price it’s almost impossible to maintain the operational cost,” he added.The transport minister went onto say that fares will be increased in phases keeping in view the economic challenges of a common man. It is worth mentioning here that currently, there are three types of buses running under the umbrella of the Peoples Bus Service project — Red Buses for all travellers, Pink Buses for only women and white Electric Buses.These buses on most of the routes in Karachi charge a flat passenger fare of Rs50 for each ride except for the bus service from Merewether Tower to Gulshan-e-Hadeed which charges a maximum fare of Rs100 due to the longer route. The bus service was first launched in Karachi last year in June by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.