LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday approved a five-year transport plan for Punjab, comprising the latest ‘Automated Rapid Transport’ (ART) system.

She was presiding over a video link meeting on transport to review the plan to introduce the modern transport system across the province.

The CM directed the officers concerned to undertake an immediate trial run of the ART system, which was being successfully run across the world, including Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

She was informed that the ART vehicles would require less road space than an ordinary bus. An ART bus, consisting of three coaches, will have a capacity to accommodate more than 300 passengers, the CM was told.

The meeting was briefed that the bus would be charged in a few minutes while standing at the ART smart station. These buses will also be equipped with wi-fi, monitoring cameras and other modern gadgets.

It was informed that the ART will be a completely solarised transport system to be launched in Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala in the first phase.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to set up ‘Plastic Licence Registration Desks’ in nine cities of the province.

Online registration of plastic manufacturers, re-cyclers, traders and sellers has been started to make Punjab a “zero-plastic province”.

Desks for plastic licence registration are being made functional in Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot this month, and in Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Jhang and Rawalpindi in the next month.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025