Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus Service

Introduction
The present conditions of the public transport system cause extreme hardship and stress for the
people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the course of their day to day lives, impacting
significantly on social and economic wellbeing and the quality of life. Furthermore, the wider
urban transit problems of traffic congestion, air and noise pollution cause significant economic
and social costs to the city, and for its people, and a decline in health and quality of life,
including the loss of opportunity in work, education and social activities. Rapid increase in
population, average distance traveled by the commuters and failure of adequate maintenance of
the existing public transportation has contributed extensively to the deterioration of
transportation system of the city.
There are around more than 800 hi ace vans operating in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. This fleet is
not only insufficient, but the van are old and poorly maintained. Most of the time these vans are
off road for repairs. On the other hand, public transport is being provided by overcrowded,
poorly managed and rashly. There is a need to replace this informal and dangerous transport
service medium with properly organized, safe, efficient, and affordable bus transport service.
Introduction
The core problem of the continuing failure of Pakistani cities to develop and manage their public
transport systems in such a way as to provide a high level of mobility, equity, and environmental
sustainability. For at least 60 years, public transport policy makers have formulated many
dierent policies for public transport development in Pakistan. These policies make little sense
in the presence of an extensive suburban railways infrastructure and high density mixed land use
in urban areas.
ECONOMIC GAINS (Statistics)
2O PKR Ticket
Everyday 1,25,000 people use Metro bus,
20 multiply 1,25,000 equal : 2500000
This amount if you multiply with 365 Days
Goverment get 91,25,000,00 PKR in one year ..

How much earning Metro Bus can make in 1 year = 91,25,000,00PKR

How much will it earn in 5 years
91,25,000,00 multiply with 5 Equal: 4562500000
5 Year mai metro bus nay Earning ki.. 4562500000.....
EXPENSE AND PURPOSEOF METRO BUS PROJECT
Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus Service is an under-construction bus rapid transit system which
will connect key areas in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Upon completion it will be the second of its
kind in Pakistan after the Lahore Metrobus Service.
The 20 kilometer long Metro Bus Service is costing near Rs. 24 billion which will be shared by
the federal and Punjab governments. The project envisages construction of over 20 km long
dedicated signal free corridor of 9.60 to 10.10 meters width at normal section and from 19.00 to
21.10 meters width at Metro Bus System (MBS) stations and tranches in Islamabad Territory.
The proposed corridor will accommodate articulated buses running simultaneously in both
directions.
Why This services need for Islamabad citizens
The citys urban transport sector is supported by its unique urban structure of uniform land use,
which has created a significant need for travel. It is estimated that within Islamabad, there are
about 700,000 daily trips originating and terminating within the city, and up to a further 500,000
daily trips which either travel to or from the city to adjoining urban areas. While the level of
congestion, is not yet as chronic as many other Asian cities, it is becoming noticeably worse year
by year and is beginning to have an impact on Islamabads clean environment and the overall
liveability of the city.

PRIVATE SECTOR V/S PUBLIC SECTOR

Public transport in Islamabad is dominated by the private sector, which operates small wagons
and minibuses in a largely unregulated and unmonitored environment. They contribute about 35
percent of mode share of overall traffic, a share that is on the decline due to the relatively poor
level of service and widespread customer dissatisfaction with the services. In addition there are a
countless of private bus fleets: provided or contracted by Government departments, private
companies, schools and other entities to exclusively serve the traveler needs of their workers and
students. Despite being the nations capital, Islamabad lacks a public transport system which
adheres to industry best practice service standards. Services are not provided on a reliable and
predictable schedule and frequency. As a result, waiting times are variable and often lengthy, and
when services do arrive, they often reportedly result in opportunistic fare gouging and passenger
abuse.

Quality of Service

Passenger demand is falling and the quality of service, relative to those with private transport, is
declining. The public transport experience for women, the elderly and school children is
particularly poor. A widespread (over 90 percent) public dissatisfaction with the existing public
transport services, and high levels of support for improved, higher quality services. Women, the
elderly and disadvantaged groups in particular highlight seat availability and being treated with
respect by drivers and conductors as key deficiencies. Over 75 percent of journeys by the
occupants of low-income households are by public transport, underlining their reliance on this
transport mode. This highlights the unique opportunity for a well designed and operated quality
service to capture this largely unsatisfied travel market. The level of demand in Islamabad
suggests solid market potential for a well designed and properly managed urban transport
system. In fact respondents of a recent survey overwhelmingly support the concept of Quality
Bus Service and expressed the willingness to pay more for such a premium service. This
promises well for a well designed Bus System.
The system will start from IJ Principal Road at Faizabad where Rawalpindi portion terminates,
and will traverse through IJ Principal Road, 9th Avenue, Jinnah Avenue and finally terminate at
the Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad. The Islamabad portion also includes Peshawar Morr
Interchange as per CDA design and a provision for 14 bus stations with allied facilities
Current situation About Metro Bus In Islamabad-Rawalpindi
However, the bus service has not been met kindly by the residents of Islamabad for a host of
reasons, the most prominent among them being the fact that it violates the master plan of
Islamabad and will cause destruction to the trees the city is known for.
Islamabad doesnt need the metro bus service due to the following reasons:
1. Islamabad doesnt have a traffic problem
According to Isloo-ites, Islamabad is a planned city unlike Lahore and under its master
plan, there is well-maintained road system which has expanded immensely over the
years. Excellent roads such as the Seventh Avenue and Ninth Avenue provide commuters
with relief during rush hours.
Also, unlike Lahore, the city has a significantly smaller population which, when combined with
its excellent system of roads, means that Islamabad is probably the best city in Pakistan in terms
of traffic management. You will rarely hear of a traffic problem in the city and even when one
arises, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is quick to fix the problem by expanding the
problematic section of the road or making an overpass such as the one at Zero Point.
This lack of a traffic problem makes the metro bus service absolutely unnecessary in the city.
2. Islamabads trees are being cut down
The city, often called Islamabad: The Beautiful takes great pride in its large population
of trees which are not only beneficial for the environment in a time of increasing climatic
changes but also give the city its scenic beauty that makes it one of the most green cities
to Pakistan to live in.

But if the metro bus project is implemented, Islamabad may very well lose this signature.
The carefully laid out master plan of the city allows for a greenbelt on the sides of each avenue
separating the avenue from the service roads. However, the bus project aims to expand these
avenues and since the potential for inward expansion has been exhausted, the only solution is to
expand outward.
This means that the greenbelts will have to be cut down in order to expand these roads. The city
has already lost a large chunk of its trees due to projects such as the Zero Point flyover for which
a number of greenbelts had to be cleared. If the metro bus project is carried out, Islamabad may
never be able to recover the number of trees cut down even through extensive tree plantation
drives.
3. The traveler problem can be solved far more cheaply
As I already mentioned, Islamabad does not have a traffic problem even though a large
chunk of the population owns cars. And the people who rely on public transport can be
better served through a cheaper project where the CDA operates public transport at a
cheap rate all around the city, thus saving money and giving transport access to people
living in areas that are not served under the initial metro bus plan since a bus is easier to
operate in different sections of the city.
The metro bus project costs a staggering Rs38 billion which is expected to rise even higher in the
coming months. The money saved from not implementing this project can be better utilised to
provide basic necessities such as education and health care to people. these are bigger problems
hounding the country than traffic and commuter issues.
4. Other cities will benefit more from the metro bus service
There are other cities in Pakistan facing traffic problems of a much more severe nature
than Islamabad. Cities such as Multan and Karachi, where the metro bus will be
constructed at a later stage, need this service more than Islamabad does. The metro bus
has proved effective in reducing Lahores traffic woes; Karachi and Multan, among other
cities, suffer from a similar problem which can be very adequately addressed by the
project.
These cities lack an adequate and quality public transport system, with a large portion of the
cities either not being served at all or insufficiently since both cities have a larger population. On
the other hand, since Islamabad has a smaller population and a significant proportion of it
comprises of private car owners, it is not as affected by these problems. Therefore, priority
should be given to other cities.
Critical Analysis
Plan & facilitate a high quality, safe, efficient, environment friendly & affordable Urban
Transport in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Hence, the metro bus service in both cities will be life changing thing for every middle lower
class. This shows that the development is taking place in almost every sector of Pakistan. This

type of development programs are necessary for every country and must be plan and done by
every government. So then the public will never suffer any type of misery.
According to population estimates, Lahore has an approximate population of 10 million
while Rawalpindis population is touching two million. Any rational mind would
understand that the solution for Rawalpindi may not be the same as that for Lahore given
the vast differences in the demographics and layout of the two cities.
Being a resident of Rawalpindi, I agree that there exists a major deficiency in the public
transport system of the twin cities. A large chunk of Rawalpindis population has to go to
Islamabad for work, education or business on a daily basis. People are hard pressed for
transportation options since there arent many. Women, in particular, who have to travel
to Islamabad face quite a bit of inconvenience.
It is obvious that in the short run, it is going to cause immense discomfort to the residents
of the two cities. After all, Murree Road is the backbone of Rawalpindis economy. It is
the feeding artery for areas far north and down towards the Potohar region. With
construction of the metro bus route, there will be a major impact on businesses, which
have already been adversely affected by sectarian clashes at Ashura.
Moreover, commuters avoid the Peshawer Road these days due to expansion work being
carried out on the Kashmir Highway. When construction begins on Murree Road as well,
the 150,000 people, which the metro bus aims to cater to, would only be using one road
to travel between the twin cities the Expressway. With new colonies going as far as the
Grand Trunk (GT) Road on both sides of the Expressway (Gulberg, Bahria, Soan
Gardens, DHA), it already faces the worst kind of traffic jams during rush hours. So
imagine the chaos that will ensue when all of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be using
just this road
Even the forecasted long-term impact does not justify the whopping Rs34 billion
investment required for the bus service. The government of Punjab has already spent
more than three billion rupees in the past two years while trying to solve the traffic
problems on Murree Road. It started with the Chandni Chowk flyover, completed in
March 2012 at a cost of Rs1.25 billion, followed by the Sixth Road flyover, completed in
January 2013 at a cost of Rs1.042 billion.
Another project the expansion of the Marir Hassan Chowk started in November 2012
at a cost of Rs429 million and was due to be completed by March 2013 but it still awaits
completion with a revised cost of Rs549 million.
These projects did not result in electoral success, which was the likely intention, nor did
they solve the traffic problem since the government is now planning a metro bus service
on the same route.
Someone must be held accountable for the Rs2.85 billion which went to waste on these
projects while the traffic problems still persist. In addition, the bus service will have a
massive environmental impact and destroy Islamabads beauty which is already
threatened by the increasing urbanisation and construction.
Such a seemingly huge problem has a surprisingly simple solution a basic bus service
that runs on the conventional routes. People still remember the days of the Varan bus
service in Rawalpindi. The routes could be Kutchery Chowk to Faizabad through Murree
Road; Kutchery Chowk to Zero Point through Mall Road and Kashmir Highway; and
Kutchery Chowk to Zero Point through the Expressway.

 Another pressing issue is the revamping of the Rawalpindi traffic police. The traffic
wardens introduced a few years back have failed to deliver. A glaring example of their
incompetence is the Ammar Shaheed Chowk which is a roundabout with traffic lights
and traffic wardens the only ones you will find anywhere and yet, the traffic is still
stuck most of the time
Recommendations
The way population has grown, we need Metro bus in every city that has more
than one million people
2O PKR Ticket
Everyday 1,25,000 people use Metro bus,
20 multiply 1,25,000 equal : 2500000
this amount if you multiply with 365 Days
goverment get 91,25,000,00 PKR in one year ..
EK Sal mai metro bus nay Earning ki
91,25,000,00PKR
ye 5 Year mai Kitni Earning kry ge..
91,25,000,00 multiply with 5 Equal: 4562500000
5 Year mai metro bus nay Earning ki.. 4562500000.....
Metro bus be awam ki use mai hai..Khuda na khasta PML-N ki
goverment jati hai..or PTI ya PPP ya PML-Q ki goverment ati ye sari
amount un k pass jay gee..don't say anything to someone..Metro bus
per agr 10Billion be lagty hai.. tu lag jay.. faida check kroo kitna hai..
Government awam ko pagal nhi bana ree..Kuch leader jo.. Akelay sub
kuch krna chahty hai woo goverment ko kam nhe krny dy re.. hum logo
k pechay jo loby hai.. wo boht kamine hai.. seriously appas mai phoot
dalwa ree hai..Agr new projects dakhoo pakistan mai maybe sub kuch
control hoo jay per fitna joo logo k ander ghus gyaa.. wo khatam nhe
hoo gaa.. Metro bus be awam ki use mai hai..Khuda na khasta PML-N ki
goverment jati hai..or PTI ya PPP ya PML-Q ki goverment ati ye sari
amount un k pass jay gee..don't say anything to someone..Metro bus
per agr 10Billion be lagty hai.. tu lag jay.. faida check kroo kitna hai..
Government awam ko pagal nhi bana ree..Kuch leader jo.. Akelay sub
kuch krna chahty hai woo goverment ko kam nhe krny dy re.. hum logo
k pechay jo loby hai.. wo boht kamine hai.. seriously appas mai phoot
dalwa ree hai..Agr new projects dakhoo pakistan mai maybe sub kuch
control hoo jay per fitna joo logo k ander ghus gyaa.. wo khatam nhe
hoo gaa..

Reference
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/tag/cost-benefit-analysis-of-metro-bus-service/
http://www.currentaffairspk.com/asad-umar-on-rwp-islamabad-metro-bus-project/

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/21712/4-reasons-islamabad-does-not-need-themetro-bus-service/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawalpindi-Islamabad_Metrobus_Service
http://pma.punjab.gov.pk/