PESHAWAR – The fares for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system are expected to increase by Rs5 per stop, with the base fare rising from Rs15 to Rs20.
A spokesperson stated that the maximum fare for the entire BRT route will go up from Rs55 to Rs60, attributing the rise in transport costs to the recent surge in electricity prices.
Previously, Muzzammil Aslam, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adviser to the chief minister on finance, had signaled a potential increase in fares. The provincial government plans to decrease the subsidy for the Peshawar BRT from Rs6 billion to Rs3 billion. It aims to save Rs2 billion by cutting expenses and Rs1 billion by raising bus fares by Rs5 to Rs10.
Aslam also noted that if the bus service were privatized, fares could potentially rise to Rs80 per person. The provincial government is working with the federal government to address financial challenges in the province.
In March, an accountability court in Peshawar approved a request by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to freeze 17 bank accounts of two contractors involved in an alleged corruption case related to the BRT project. The court also instructed the national anti-corruption body to seal the contractors’ residential plots.
Last year, reports indicated the BRT was on the verge of shutting down due to the provincial government failing to pay about Rs1 billion in dues to five private companies managing different sections of the public transport system.
Peshawar BRT contractor lodges Rs57b claim in international court of arbitration
