ISLAMABAD: In a welcome move just before Eid ul Azha, the government has rolled back the recent increase in metro bus fares in the federal capital.
According to reports, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed public welfare projects and improvements in transport services in Islamabad.
Sources said the Prime Minister directed that the recent fare hike be withdrawn to provide relief to citizens ahead of Eid. Acting on this directive, Minister Mohsin Naqvi immediately reversed the fare increase.
The Prime Minister said that raising fares before Eid would affect the festive spirit of the people. He instructed that the official notification to cancel the fare increase be issued tonight.
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Earlier, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had raised the fare of all metro buses from Rs 50 to Rs 100 starting June 1, 2025. The decision was made to reduce the financial burden on CDA, which provides heavy subsidies for public transport.
CDA officials said about 85,000 people travel daily on Islamabad’s buses, and the authority faces annual transport expenses of Rs 5.12 billion. With only Rs 1.46 billion in revenue, the CDA covers a deficit of Rs 3.66 billion through subsidies.
Officials said that increasing the fare to Rs 100 could have helped raise the annual revenue to around Rs 2.33 billion. However, the government decided to continue giving subsidies so that people can still travel at affordable rates.
Currently, 30 buses operate on the Orange Line, 10 on the Blue Line, 10 on the Green Line, and 160 air-conditioned electric buses run on feeder routes.
