ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) reported that an average of 11,000 passengers use the Orange Bus service on a daily basis.
A recent meeting at the CDA headquarters examined the data on the latest ridership statistics of the Orange Metro Bus. It was observed that the daily passenger load for 15 buses has been 11,464, which is about 30 passengers per bus ride.
The Faiz Ahmed Faiz junction, in particular, was the busiest with 1,746 passengers per day. On the other hand, the Police Foundation-Mauve Area stop was used the least.
The highest number of passengers in a single day so far was 16,000 on 23rd May, 2022.
The CDA management stated that it hopes the recent trends are an indicator of more people utilising the bus service in future. The upcoming launch of the Green Line and Blue Line (that will operate from Bhara Kahu to Rawat) will also add more capacity to the metro system.
These ultimately aim to provide the backbone of future mobility needs in the capital city. While these projects promise a speedy and efficient service, there has also been an increased focus on limiting the effects of climate change.
Moreover, the members at the meeting were informed that 15 more buses are scheduled to reach Islamabad from Karachi by the end of this week.
This project had remained shelved for almost four years, until Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the project site and gave orders to make the service functional soon.
It has been planned that about 30 buses will operate on the Orange Line, a 25.6-km long route with seven stations and one platform. An estimated number of 25,000 to 26,000 passengers will commute on this route daily after the metro bus is fully operational.
