KARACHI, Dec 23: Private transport companies, which had been offered bus services of their own, have shied away from the whole process owing to a row between the Sindh government and city government over the transfer of bus depots to the CDGK, it is learnt.

“Though the provincial finance department has approved the summary put forward by the city government’s transport and communication department (TCD) seeking to utilize the depots previously belonging to the defunct Karachi Transport Corporation (KPT), the Sindh transport department has shown certain reservations in handing over the depots to the CDGK,” a Sindh government official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

The inordinate delay in transfer of the four depots — Surjani Town, Landhi, Korangi and Mehran — had perplexed the private transport firms which have reconsidered their intention to bring large-size buses on city roads.

Sources said that the TCD had invited proposals for large buses operation under the Urban Transport Scheme (UTS) in July 2001. Altogether, fourteen companies were declared qualified and offered the operation. Ever since the city government has been endeavouring to acquire the bus depots planned to be leased out to these firms.

The sources pointed out that due to the issue, lingering on for the last two years, nine of the 14 companies had already lost interest in the project.

At present, only 74 large buses, operated by three companies, are plying on the city roads and 79 more are planned to be added in phases by the end of January 2004. The total number of large buses, thus would rise to 153 by the end of next month, as against the TCD’s original plan to ensure induction of 500 such buses by that time.

According to the sources, because of the delay in handing over Mehran depot, TCD officials had obtained permission for the launching of bus operation from Malir Cantonment area, from where the Worldwide Motors had begun their bus operation with 30 large buses for two different routes on trial basis.

The Green Bus Company has already been operating 28 large CNG buses while another firm, Allied Services, has introduced 16 to ply between Gulshan-i-Maymar and Tower, via Abul Hasan Isphani Road, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Civic Centre, and M. A. Jinnah Road. The Allied Services intends to increase the number of its buses to 45 by the end of next month, said officials.

Another transport firm, Al-Aziz Transport Company, is willing to operate 25 large buses by mid-January. It had been given Tower-Khokhrapar-Tower route via Saudabad, Sharea Faisal and Sindh Secretariat.

In view of the nine companies’ lack of interest in the offer, the TCD had invited fresh proposals in July this year. In response, 18 more companies came forward and their proposals are in the process of evaluation, the sources said, indicating that the evaluation might be completed by the end of this month.

However, the sources apprehended that any further delay on the part of the Sindh transport department in handing over the depots to the city government might again cause frustration among the interested parties and the ultimate sufferers would obviously be the commuters.

They pointed out that the Sindh government was also denying dueincentives to the operators of large buses.

According to the agreement, that is concluded between the government and the firms, a subsidy of nine per cent has to be given to the companies on mark-up of loans for airconditioned buses and six per cent for non-airconditioned buses. Two per cent of the subsidy is to be shared by the city government.