Karachi Electric Bus Service Faces Shutdown

The Karachi electric bus service has been abruptly shutdown on two out of three routes in the city. This unexpected disruption has posed commuting challenges for the residents of Karachi. Sindh government initiated the electric bus service launched at the start of 2023 as part of the People Bus Services project.

As of now, the EV-2 route of the Karachi bus service remains operational. It covers the journey from Malir Halt to Bahria Town. However, both the EV-1 and EV-3 routes have been suspended indefinitely.

Officials have cited the closure of routes as the primary reason for the suspension of the Karachi Electric Bus service. It’s worth noting that earlier this year, in January, the government introduced the first route of the electric bus service.

Karachi Electric Bus Service Faces Shutdown

This initial route ran between Karachi Airport and Seaview. It started from Tank Chowk near Jinnah Avenue and passed through locations such as the Airport, Sharea Faisal, FTC, Korangi Road, Khayaban-i Ittehad, and concluded at the Clock Tower in Seaview.

Two power stations for a total of 40 electric buses were initially deployed in Bahria Town and Malir Cantt. The one in Bahria Town is working fine and 20 electric buses dedicated to its route are operational.

“However, the one in Malir Cantt is constantly facing serious power supply and voltage fluctuation issues.” said a source privy to the recent history of the electric bus service’s operations.

Two power stations for a total of 40 electric buses were initially deployed in Bahria Town and Malir Cantt.

“It hardly charged the required number of buses a day. So the electric buses on the two other routes have been lying parked in the depot for the past many weeks. Therefore, the management decided to bring in the regular red diesel buses of the Sindh People’s Bus Service to bridge the gap. But all of a sudden, those buses have also been pulled out of the roads and the operation on the two routes has been suspended,” the source added.

Launched in January this year, the electric bus service encountered multiple challenges, primarily stemming from battery charging issues that emerged when it commenced operations. By April, the electric bus service temporarily discontinued on two routes due to a malfunction in the battery charging equipment. This suspension persisted for over two months while efforts were made to address the charger’s malfunction. Ultimately, in July, the service was able to resume operations after a new charging system was imported from China.

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“The service has been facing the issue related to the charging of the batteries since the launch,” said the source. “The power station of these buses in Malir Cantt doesn’t get the required power supply to charge all the buses. There are two types of chargers — 160kV and 180kV. With a little than the required supply or power, they are unable to charge the required number of buses.” the official added.