Islamabad Aims to Fully Shift to Electric Busses
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa on Tuesday discussed the comprehensive plans to shift commercial vehicles to electric power.
During a meeting, Randhawa emphasized the importance of this transformation, stating that the initiative marks a pivotal step toward achieving a greener, more efficient public transportation system in Islamabad.
The transition from commercial buses to electric buses is expected to modernize the city’s transport infrastructure while drastically reducing its carbon footprint.
The chairman directed to explore the provision of soft loans to commercial transport operators to ease the whole transition process to electric vehicles. In addition, special incentives need to be introduced to encourage a faster shift towards electric mobility.
He stressed the need to seek cooperation from International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to secure funding for the electric vehicle initiative. The focus of the initiative should be on earning carbon credits and environmental impact.
The Ministry of Climate Change will also be taken on board to ensure that the initiative is aligned with the country’s overall climate goals.
During the meeting, the need for upgrading charging infrastructure was highlighted, which is key for the success of this initiative.
It was also decided that CDA will take up the matter of shifting buses to electric ones with all institutions and organizations including schools, colleges, and universities in Islamabad.
Charging stations to be set up at petrol pumps
In this connection, the chairman instructed to introduce new regulations to facilitate the establishment of electric vehicle charging stations at Petrol Pumps across the city.
Moreover, charging stations will also be installed near the digital parking facilities recently launched by CDA.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2024/10/09/islamabad-aims-to-fully-shift-to-electric-busses/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
