Rawalpindi’s Electric Buses Are Finally Here…45 of Them Started Running Today

Rawalpindi’s Electric Buses Are Finally Here…45 of Them Started Running Today

This morning, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz flagged off Rawalpindi’s first 45 electric buses. People clapped, cameras clicked, and then the buses quietly rolled out onto the streets. No smoke. No loud engine. Just a clean start.

Four Routes Are Live Right Now

If you live in Rawalpindi or the Cantt, chances are one of these routes passes near you:

• Saddar to Misrial Road

• Fawara Chowk to Koral Chowk

• Saddar Metro Station to Munawar Colony

• Marrir Metro to Motorway Chowk

The buses run every few minutes during peak hours. Tickets cost the same as the old diesel ones, sometimes even less on some lines.

24,000 People a Day Will Ride Them at First

That’s the early estimate. On day one, seats filled up fast. Students going to college, office workers heading to Islamabad, aunties coming back from the market—everyone wanted to try the new ride.

And it’s easy to see why. The buses are air-conditioned, the ride is smooth, and you don’t walk off smelling like diesel.

They Connect Straight to the Metro

Hop off an electric bus at Saddar or Marrir and you’re right at the Metro station. No long walks, no crossing busy roads. Just step off one and step onto the other. Commuters who travel between Rawalpindi and Islamabad every day say this alone will save them twenty to thirty minutes.

Drivers Trained, Charging Stations Ready

Every driver finished a full training course. They know how to handle the regenerative brakes and how to pull in smoothly at stops. Charging points are already set up at the depots, and more fast chargers are coming before the end of the year.

Another batch of buses lands in December. Once those arrive, more routes will open and the same buses will run later into the night.

Less Smoke, Less Noise, Less Traffic

Rawalpindi’s roads are packed from morning till night. Old diesel buses crawl along, belching black smoke and rattling windows. Swap even a few dozen of them for electric ones, and the difference becomes noticeable quickly.

People who live along Saddar say they can already hear birds in the morning instead of the engine roar. Kids walking to school breathe easier. And because the buses stick to the schedule better, fewer private cars and qingqis clog the roads.

What Passengers Said Today

One uncle told reporters, “I thought electric buses would be slow. This thing took off faster than my son’s Corolla.”

A university student posted a video from the back seat: “AC on full blast, phone charging, no smell. Why didn’t we do this years ago?”

Even the conductors like it. No more standing next to a hot, noisy engine all day.

Next Stops

The plan doesn’t end here. By the end of 2025, most major roads in Rawalpindi should have electric buses. Talks are already on for Gulzar-e-Quaid and the road to the airport.

For now, if you’re in the city, go take a ride. It’s cheap, it’s clean, and it actually feels like the future showed up on time.

For more updates, visit DrivePK.com