The wait is over! Within a few weeks now, the commute for people moving between Karachi’s Central and South districts will become easier and hustle-free.

It will be more comfortable too.

The 18-meter-long bus carrying as many as 140 people is an important component of a special kind of mass transit system, known as the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT. Karachi is to have multiple BRT routes. The first one is to open in November.

The Green Line route is Surjani, New Karachi, KDA Chowrangi, Sakhi Hasan, North Nazimabad and Nazimabad and then Numaish.

Karachi has been hearing about the BRT corridors for years and has been hoping to get a mass transit system for even longer. At least 80 buses for the project have arrived in Karachi.

The test run of the buses earlier this month came as a sigh of relief to many in the city. Commuters are now planning to ditch motorbikes and cars for the BRT.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the service in November. Bus rapid transit allows buses to move in a corridor dedicated to them. This strip is set aside for them in the middle of wide roads. This allows the stream of buses to move up and down without getting stuck in regular traffic.

Each bus has 40 seats but a much larger overall capacity for passengers, who will be travelling in four different compartments reserved for women, families, disabled persons, and men.

The bus has an adjustable ramp for wheelchair users. CCTV cameras have been installed for surveillance and monitoring. Wi-Fi and charging ports are also available on the bus.

The facilities in the Greenline buses include hand railings and air conditioners in the articulated compartments and automotic spray machines. The bus has thirteen emergency exits.

The imported vehicles are of Euro 3 standards which means that the carbon monoxide emissions from the buses are reduced. The hybrid vehicles will be run on batteries and diesel.

The BRT bus drivers get a prerequisite training before they are permitted to drive. “I have worked in Peshawar’s BRT earlier, and mandatory one-month training is required,” Captain Muhammad Khumais told SAMAA TV.

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