Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has invited financial proposals for the first batch of 75 buses out of a total of 150 buses that will ply on multiple feeder routes in the capital by March 2023.
Two companies, Faisal Movers and Daewoo Express, are in contention after being successful in their technical evaluation for this project. CDA has also hired third-party consultants who are evaluating bids for the project.
According to the details, each company proposed different buses to ply Islamabad’s roads. One company wants to run diesel hybrid buses, while another wants to operate electric buses.
The consultant will complete the bid evaluation in about a week, after which, it will table recommendations before the CDA board for a final decision.
The CDA had requested bids to operate 150 8.5-meter-long buses on various routes throughout the capital, connecting them to the city’s already operational metro bus system.
The project is divided into two phases. In phase 1, the successful bidder would be required to operate 75 buses for four months, and the remaining 75 buses in the following two months.
The successful bidder will operate the service for the next eight years, with the option to extend it for another four years, depending on the standard of services.
The project will use ‘feeder routes’ to connect commuters from various areas of Islamabad to central metro bus stations, from which they will be able to transfer to other routes.
