PESHAWAR: TransPeshawar, which is also known as Zu Peshawar, the operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), has released the annual report, showing that the citizens used the facility for approximately 86.5 million trips.

To date, the service has been used for over 300 million trips. Daily commutes have exceeded 345,000 passengers, with women making up nearly 30% of the total, according to the report.

In 2024, Zu Peshawar launched three new routes: DR-14 (Islamia College to Regi Model Town), DR14-A (Islamia College to Professor Model Town), and DR-13 (Sardar Garhi to Pabbi). Additionally, University Express services were introduced on ER-09, ER-10, ER-12, ER-16, and SR-08 routes for convenience of students.

This year, Zu Peshawar’s Bus Industry Restructuring Programme (BIRP) was given an honourable mention at the Sustainable Transport Awards by the Institute for Transport Development and Policy (ITDP), bringing the total number of international awards to five.

Furthermore, around 240,000 Zu Cards were sold, increasing the total number of cards in circulation to over 1.9 million. Additionally, Zu Bicycle Sharing System (BSS) saw 2,130 new registrations, including 17 women. Total registrations for BSS are now 8,951.

The integration of Zu Bicycle Sharing System with Nadra has been completed, allowing passengers to complete the registration process at BRT stations instead of visiting the registration authority’s service centres.

The bicycle sharing system was also used for nearly 224,000 trips this year.

TransPeshawar’s spokesperson, Sadaf Kamil, said, “In 2024, our call centre staff resolved more than 20,000 complaints, and more than 3,500 customers received guidance through social media.”

“Additionally, Zu Peshawar received international recognition at platforms such as Sustainable Transport Award webinar by the Institute for Transport Policy and Development, a conference organised by the IMF and World Bank in the US, and the ‘Mobilize Your City’ conference by the Asian Development Bank in Manila, where the system was presented as a model transit system,” she said, adding, “To improve passenger convenience, agreements were signed to establish three new tuck shops at stations, bringing the total number to 25.”

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025