PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday extended the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services to the Pabbi tehsil of Nowshera district.

The new Pabbi route was inaugurated by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur at Chamkani BRT station.

In a statement issued here, TransPeshawar, the operator of the Peshawar BRT, said that provincial minister for excise and taxation Mian Khaleequr Rehman, secretary of the transport department, the CEO of TransPeshawar, and the managing director of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority were also present on the occasion.

The 16km Pabbi route connects Pabbi Bazaar with Sardar Garhi BRT station and includes 13 stops, including Pabbi Terminal, Pabbi Bazaar, Khajoor Stop, Pabbi Railway Station, Girls Degree College, Wapda Town, Taru Jabba, Tarnab Farm, Kala Mandi, Jhagra, Shahad Market, Chamkani, and Sardar Garhi.

CM promises to further increase coverage of bus service

TransPeshawar said that the route would operate from 6:30am to 7pm, with buses running every 20 minutes providing travel facility to an estimated 4,000 passengers daily. The one-way travel time for the route is approximately 33 minutes.

It said that with the inauguration of the Pabbi route, the total number of BRT routes has increased to 18, expanding the network’s reach and providing enhanced convenience to passengers.

Since its launch on August 13, 2020, BRT Peshawar has transformed public transport in the city. Currently, 244 buses operate across 17 routes, serving around 300,000 passengers daily. To date, BRT Peshawar has carried over 280 million passengers.

According to BRT, the Pabbi route is another critical addition to the BRT network, which already serves key areas such as GT Road, Kohat Road, Charsadda Road, Hayatabad, Regi/DHA, and the Southern Ring Road, further strengthening Peshawar’s public transport infrastructure.

Mr Gandapur told reporters that providing quality facilities in health, education, transport, and housing was among the priority areas of provincial governments for which solid steps were being taken under a comprehensive and well devised strategy.

He said the current government was gradually extending the BRT service to provide quality transport facilities to the people of the provincial capital Peshawar and its surrounding areas.

The chief minister said the inauguration of the Pabbi feeder route was a continuation of that effort.

He said that the Nasir Bagh Road and Regi Model Town feeder routes had already been inaugurated.

“The provincial government intends to extend the BRT service to other areas, including the Ring Road, and homework is in progress in this regard. Additionally, a plan is being initiated to start a transport service similar to the BRT in divisional headquarters,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2024