Punjab expands electric vehicle initiatives for students and public transit

The Punjab government is expanding its electric vehicle initiatives through both student-focused mobility schemes and large-scale public transport upgrades.

The Phase II Chief Minister's e-Bike Scheme has seen significant interest, recording over 432,000 student registrations within its first two days. Of these, more than 108,000 applications have been fully submitted. The program offers waived down payments and free training to eligible students who are at least 18 years old, hold a Punjab domicile, and are enrolled in recognized higher education institutions.

In terms of public transit, the provincial government plans to launch electric bus services across 91 tehsils starting in January 2027. The initial phase aims to deploy 1,500 electric buses, with a target of 3,000 buses operational across the province by June 2027. Major divisions such as Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, and Gujrat are slated to receive significant portions of the new fleet. The government has also approved dedicated electric bus depots for each tehsil to support the expansion.