LAHORE, June 2: Three more private companies will start operating franchized buses, including double deckers, in the provincial metropolis by the end of June.

The companies will operate 355 buses in the city. Monolite will bring 175 buses, including double deckers, whereas Chattha Brothers and Baloch Transport will operate 100 and 80 buses respectively.

Each of the companies has entered into an agreement with the government to operate buses on five routes. All the wagons plying on such routes will be withdrawn and diverted to other routes.

Forty double deckers are being imported from China for operating in the city. The first consignment of 26 has reached Karachi and a bus is already plying on General Bus Stand-Kahna route.

Double deckers will be seen operating in the city after more than 35 years. The fleet of British double deckers run by the defunct Lahore Omnibus Service ceased operating after having been rendered unserviceable in the 1970s.

The double deckers were scheduled to start operating by mid-April but the schedule was disturbed as the European members of the Monolite Consortium left the country due to Iraq war. The consortium also failed to submit the Lahore Magnorail Project.

Chattha Brothers has received the first consignment of 40 Hino buses and will start operations on Bakkar Mandi-Township Fruit and Vegetable Market route in a few days. Baloch Transport will also receive the first consignment of Isuzu buses within a fortnight.

Daewoo, New Khan and Premier are operating 343 buses on 14 of 54 routes in the city. New Khan is operating buses on eight routes while Premier and Daewoo are operating on two and five routes respectively. Daewoo intended to operate 300 buses but is operating only 70 buses. The rest are yet to arrive.