KARACHI, Aug 20: Twenty-two bidders have till to-date shown interest in operating buses on 18 routes in Karachi under the urban transport scheme.

The city government has also extended the date for depositing tender applications till Aug 30.

Daewoo, Blue Lines, Shalimar and the World-Wide Motors have already shown interest in operating a number of routes.

Among the transports who have requested for routes, only the Green Bus Company is eager to get through all procedures and they have been granted import duty exemption by the ministry of industries for import of 300 large CNG buses from China.

This exemption has been given on two conditions that these buses will operate in Karachi and not on any other inter-city route; secondly, the company will set up an assembling plant also in Pakistan.

The first batch of four of these CNG-fitted buses is expected to reach Karachi next month.

The Swede-Bus Company, which had signed an agreement with the Sindh government about a year ago and had also paid Rs 300,000 to the city government as annual rent for the New Karachi depot, has not shown up as yet.

They, too, have obtained request for operating buses under the urban transport scheme.

According to EDO transport, an important aspect of this scheme is that all investors need to have at least 25 new model buses to get one of the routes and according to studies, Karachi needs at least 500 large buses after which the old ones will be forced to shift to peripheral routes or even out of the city to smaller towns.

Proposals for operating buses have been received for the following routes:

1) Surjani to Dockyard/ Keamari via Nagan Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, Guru Mandir, Tower;

2) Surjani to Keamari via Sohrab Goth, M.A. Jinnah Road and Tower;

3) Surjani to Korangi via North Karachi, Sohrab Goth Rashid Minhas Road, Sharae Faisal, Quaidabad, Dawood Chowrangi, Landhi/Korangi; 4) Surjani to Shirin Jinnah Colony via Sohrab Goth, NIPA, University Road, Jail Chowrangi, Shaheed-i-Millat Road, Sharae Quaideen, Nursery, Cantonment Station, Teen Talwar, Schon Chowrangi, Clifton;

5) Surjani to Dockyard via Nagan Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, Petrol pump, Habib Bank, Shershah, Gulbai, ICI bridge, Jamatkhana, Customs House, Fisheries;

6) Malir Cantonment and Tower via University Road, Guru Mandir, M. A. Jinnah road;

7) Malir Cantt to Karachi Cantonment via Model Colony, Malir Halt, Sharae Faisal, FTC, JPMC, Cantonment Station;

8) Gulshan-i-Hadeed to Dockyard via Quaidabad, Malir, Halt, Sharae Faisal, FTC, JPMC and Cantonment Station;

9) Labour Square (Landhi) to Tower/West Wharf via Dawood Chowrangi, Landhi/Korangi Crossing, Qayyumabad, JPMC, Fleet Club, Musical Fountain, Stretchen Road, Arts Council, Shaheen complex, Tower;

10) Korangi to Baldia via Landhi, Quaidabad, Sharae Faisal, Karsaz, Civic Centre, Liaquatabad, Habib Bank, Estate Avenue, Shershah, Mohajir Camp-19-D;

11) Khokhrapar to Hawkesbay Road via Saudabad, Sharae Faisal, Karsaz, Civic Centre, Liaquatabad No 10, Nazimabad, Habib Bank, Estate Avenue and Gulbai;

12) Khokhrapar to Tower via, Saudabad, Sharae Faisal, FTC, Lucky Star, RTA office, Shaheen Complex and I.I Chundrigar road;

13) Khokhrapar to Ittehad town via Saudabad, Sharae Faisal, NIPA, Sohrab Goth, Natha Khan Goth, Nagan Chowrangi, Hydri Board Office, Abdullah college, Banaras Chowk, Orangi and Ittehad town.

14) Orangi to Tower / Dockyard via Banaras, Habib Bank, Liaquatabad-10, Guru Mandir and M. A. Jinnah Road to Tower;

15) Orangi to Clifton / Shirin Jinnah Colony via Banaras, Habib Bank, Pak Colony, Saddar, Cantonment station, Gizri, Khayaban-i- Shamshir, Clifton / Shirin Jinnah Colony;

16) Baldia to Keamari via Mohajir Camp, Rasheedabad, Labour Square, Fakhruddin Valika, Habib Bank, Garden, M. A. Jinnah Road to Tower;

17) Maymar Complex, Scheme-33 to West Wharf via Al-Asif Square, Abul Hasan Isphani Road, Gulshan Chowrangi, NIPA roundabout, Civic Centre, old subzimandi, Numaish, M.A. Jinnah Road to Tower;

18) Quaidabad to West Wharf via Malir City, Sharae Faisal, Rashid Minhas Road, Dalmia, Stadium road, Aga Khan Hospital, New Town, Teen Hatti, Nishter road, Garden, Lea Market and Jamaat Khanna.

About 12,000 public transport vehicles, including buses, mini-buses and coaches, are presently operating in Karachi and no new bus has been introduced on any route in the city during the past two decades.

According to chairman, transport committee of the city council, Hafiz Ahmed Ali, some of the buses plying the city are as old as over 40 years.

These buses reached Karachi after being rejected in smaller towns of Punjab, like Burewala and Muridke.

Since, there is a strict ban on old buses in Lahore, the authorities are gradually phasing out very old buses from the city, therefore, such buses are shifted to smaller cities like Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot and when they are pushed to more isolated towns, these are brought to Karachi, Hafiz Ahmed Ali asserted.

Meanwhile, the Hino Pakistan on Tuesday held a workshop which was attended by the transporters, representatives of banks, leasing and insurance companies and the officials of provincial and city government.

It was informed that 50 seater non-AC Hino bus costs about Rs2.8 million, whereas the same for an imported bus can be Rs4 million including the excise duty.—PPI