PESHAWAR:Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on Friday witnessed significant increase in commuters during 2022 in which a record number of 74 million persons traveled as compared to 51 million in 2021.
According to annual performance report of TransPeshawar, Zu Peshawar hit a record total of 130 million travelers since its inception in August 2020. There has also been a 30 percent increase in female travelers.
The number of daily passengers has hit a peak figure of 270,000 among which about 70,000 are women. About 400,000 Zu Cards were issued this year, which brings the total number of issued cards to 1.4 million. Due to the increasing popularity and demand 62 new buses arrived in Pakistan in last quarter of 2022 which would soon be added to existing fleet of 158 buses, said that news report.
In addition to increasing number of buses, new routes are being introduced and new express route ER 10, from Hospital Chowk to Kohat Adda was also made functional in first half of this year while 5 new routes have been approved and work has commenced.
For better facilitation of passengers, Zu Peshawar also integrated with Google maps this year allowing passengers to easily locate their nearest Zu Stations and giving them an option to plan their journey with Zu in a better way. Passengers can choose the public transport option on Google Maps to find the shortest and quickest route to commute from one point to another.
The mobile app of Zu Peshawar also went through a few upgrades this year, where passengers can now recharge Zu mobile app through Omni Shop, view their travel and recharge history and read bus schedules. The ZU card balance information and recharge option has also been added to Zu Mobile App which was highly appreciated by the public.
The Peshawar BRT System was also presented as a model bus rapid transit system on various international platforms including the Asia and Pacific Transport Forum 2022, Para transit in Asia Webinar and the Mobilize Virtual Webinar.
Apart from Zu Bus Service, Zu Bicycle Sharing System has also gained immense popularity this year. The bicycle system witnessed more than 2400 registrations this year, witnessing a 300% increase as compared to the 591 registrations in 2021.
Vulnerable segment of the society such as special persons, transgender and women were facilitated in the system and specialized trainings were arranged for staff to accommodate them in accordance with their needs.