Getting around Karachi without a car — or at least a bike — of your own is not for the faint of heart. Options are limited, from ride-sharing apps with eye-watering fares to rickshaws that will leave you with a persistent itch in the back of your throat. And then there are the buses.

Until recently, taking a bus in Karachi meant embarking on a battered hull adorned with kaleidoscopic patterns and emitting plumes of acrid black smoke — some of which did make its way into the cabin. Which is why the city’s new double-decker buses, which launched on Jan 1, are a breath of fresh air.

The development came more than a year after the Sindh government announced the initiative in October 2024 for the city of over 23 million that has faced mobility issues for long.

The towering red buses are a jarring sight for now, a hallmark of cities like London and Hong Kong running along Sharea Faisal, but they’ve only been in regular service for three days. Intrigued and always up to try a new mode of transportation, I caught one of the red giants from Press Club Chowrangi — known best for its proximity to Zainab Market — all the way to Malir.

Hussain Mansoor — the spokesperson to Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon — told Dawn that so far, “a total of five double-decker buses have been procured”.

Speaking about the routes, he said the buses are running from Malir Halt to the Governor’s House, but the actual route starts from Model Colony to Fawara Chowk (Karachi Press Club Roundabout).

“The designated stops for the buses include Malir Halt, the airport, Colony Gate, Natha Khan Bridge, Drigh Road, Nursery, Baloch Colony and Finance and Trade Centre,” he said.

“The buses are equipped with ramps and special seats for people with disabilities, along with a spacious ladies’ compartment,” he said.

Inside the bus

Entering the vehicle, the lower deck was reserved for women, yet anyone heading upstairs had to pass through the staircase positioned squarely in the middle of the supposed ‘ladies section’.

Upstairs, a collection of men, children and a few whole families populated the two compartments — an enclosed cabin and an open-air space with a retractable canopy.

As children marvelled at the cars driving by below and most adults took photos and videos, the conductor came by to collect the fare, Rs80 for anyone stepping off before the Natha Khan bridge and Rs120 for everyone travelling further. After that, we were off, cruising along Karachi’s main thoroughfare as the open canopy let in a cool breeze.

Khurram, who was seated next to me, told me he got around the city on a bike, but wanted to try the new bus and see what the hype was about. He said the new double-deckers were a significant improvement over local buses — known on the street as Mazdas. “The fare is reasonable, matching that of local Mazdas but with a smoother drive and a better environment,” he said.

He remarked that he clearly wasn’t the only one who thought the experience was a novelty, noting that, “70 per cent of passengers are making videos on their phones.”

Khurram added it was the people’s responsibility to take care of these buses and that the government should bring more of them onto the roads.

Mohammad Ismail, a student who was taking the bus with his friends, said: “The bus is nice, but it lacks any handrails or straps for people to hold on to should they need to stand while the bus is moving.“ This reality became painfully obvious to me a bit later.

Ismail‘s friends, Akram and Mohammad Sharif, said the fares were higher than those of local buses, and government-run buses should be subsidised. Sharif told me local bus fares started at Rs50 for distances that cost Rs80 on the Peoples’ Bus Service (PBS), but the boys did admit these new buses were more comfortable and that “local ones often had pickpockets.”

Ali Raza, who regularly commutes to work on buses, said he usually takes the single-deck buses but managed to catch the new double-decker for the first time today. “The bigger buses are more comfortable and convenient because of how spacious they are,” he said, advising the authorities to extend the bus route from Malir Halt to Gulshan-i-Hadeed in line with the R-1 route of the PBS.

Shabana, who was travelling with her daughter, said she used to take a bus a long time ago and could see the improvement in the quality of public transport in Karachi. “We didn’t have many facilities back in the day, but that’s gotten better,“ she said, adding, “We have comfortable seats, the drivers cooperate with us, and the biggest thing, it’s not heavy on the pocket.”

The pair were seated on the upper deck, so I asked whether they felt there should be more space designated for women. Shabana responded that she didn’t really mind and found the journey comfortable and safe.

Habib, an office worker who usually drives himself to work, said he had lived in Dubai and found Karachi’s new buses comparable to mass transit in the Gulf city. He said he and his colleagues would take the bus regularly if they didn’t need to visit clients in different parts of the city. He gave the service an eight out of 10.

Habib echoed Khurram’s suggestion that the government should bring in more of these buses. They also shared concerns about the upkeep of the buses, with Habib saying, “Quality-wise, I think everything is okay because it’s just started, let’s see what will come after six months.”

He recalled using local buses as a student, some 20 years ago, and said they were neither safe nor hygienic.

Mohammad Nasir, one of the last passengers onboard and a regular rider on the PBS, said the double-deckers were better than other PBS buses running along the R-1 route because they had ample seating for passengers. The smaller buses, he recalled, were usually packed to the point where anyone in the back of the vehicle couldn’t make their way to the doors at their stop.

He said these bigger buses were great as long as there wasn’t any overcrowding, and called for more double-deckers on all major bus routes in the city.

Karachi still has a very long way to go when it comes to public transportation, with most of the city remaining underserved. Buses are few and often far in between on major roads, while rapid transit systems face persistent delays — like the Red Line running along University Road.

However, the introduction of double-decker buses and other hybrid and electric buses before that provides hope that there may come a day when citizens aren‘t completely dependent on cars and motorcycles. These systems, while beneficial for those who prefer not to brave Karachi’s roads on their own, also help to reduce the city‘s notorious traffic situation.

The story has been updated to include routes, the total number of buses, and details of facilities for passengers with disabilities.

Additional reporting by Imtiaz Ali.