KARACHI, Nov 18: The city gets new buses to be operated as public transport for the first time in more than two decades.

four CNG buses have been imported from China by the Green Bus Company for city’s Urban Transport Scheme (UTS).

The next batch, consisting 25 CNG buses, will arrive in the city by the end of this year.

Though, for a company desirous of operating under the UTS, it is necessary to have at least 25 new buses operating in the city, the Green Bus Company has been given special concession by the city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, after a meeting with the management of the company and the Chinese manufacturers of the buses — FAW.

They had requested the city Nazim to allow them to test the performances of the buses under the weather conditions of the city.

The FAW is the largest manufacturer in the Chinese automobile industry which employs more than 80,000 people in its 14 factories.

The company plans manufacturing dual-fuel buses in Karachi which can be operated on diesel as well as on CNG and the plant will have a capacity to produce about 150 buses a month.

For the improvement of city’s transport system and its environment, large buses with CNG are needed.

Meanwhile, talking to the PPI, Naseem Farooqui, the chairman of the Green Bus company, said that the company would give a 75 per cent discount in fare to the disabled persons and 50 per cent concession would be given to the students.

According to an official of the Regional Transport Authority, the city has some 12,000 public transport vehicles, including buses, minibuses and coaches but no new buses have been inducted in the transport system for the past two decades.—PPI