Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the launch of a new phase of the province’s e-bike scheme, under which 100,000 electric motorcycles will be provided to students over the next year on subsidised, interest-free installment plans, officials said after a meeting of the Transport and Mass Transit Department, according to an official information today.
The meeting, chaired by the chief minister, approved a subsidy of Rs70,000 for each e-bike. Male students will be required to make a down payment of Rs14,000, while female students will receive additional support, with Maryam Nawaz announcing that she will cover their down payment and registration charges. Students will then pay monthly interest-free installments of Rs2,100.
Officials said government employees across Punjab will also be eligible to obtain e-bikes under the easy installment programme.
The meeting was also informed that Punjab has established an electric bus manufacturing industry, with an assembly plant now producing electric buses in the province. Officials described the development as a significant milestone, saying Punjab has progressed from operating electric buses to manufacturing them locally.
Separately, the chief minister approved the operation of 1,500 buses across 91 tehsils in the divisions of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad and Sargodha.
Officials said the first phase of the programme would see 1,500 buses deployed across the 91 tehsils. They added that PC-1 approval had been granted for the procurement of another 1,500 electric buses at the tehsil level, while 189 newly assembled electric buses in various districts were ready for a soft launch.
Maryam Nawaz directed authorities to immediately launch electric bus services in Kot Addu, Talagang and Taunsa Sharif, adding that the formal inauguration could be held virtually.
She also instructed officials to begin bus operations in Vehari and Lodhran and ordered an increase in the number of electric buses serving Vehari, Lodhran and Nankana Sahib.
The chief minister further directed authorities to deploy additional buses to areas where fewer than 15 vehicles are currently operating, saying every area should have a minimum fleet of 15 buses. She said Punjab had successfully introduced electric buses while simultaneously establishing a domestic manufacturing base for the sector.