The Punjab electric bus expansion took a major step forward as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved extending the province’s electric bus service down to the tehsil level for the first time, with operations scheduled to begin in January 2027.
The decision, made during a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister in Lahore on September 9, 2026, marks a significant scale-up of a public transport initiative that has so far focused primarily on major cities.
Scale of the Expansion
Under the approved plan, 1,500 electric buses will be deployed across 91 tehsils throughout Punjab, with dedicated depots also approved for each tehsil to support operations and maintenance. The first batch of buses for this tehsil-level rollout is expected to arrive in Lahore in January 2027, marking the start of the expansion’s rollout phase.
The provincial government has set a broader target of operating 3,000 electric buses across Punjab by June 2027, with the first phase of the expanded electric bus service targeted for completion by September of that year.
District-Wise Bus Allocation
The expansion plan includes specific bus allocations for several districts. Multan will receive 169 buses across nine tehsils, while Sahiwal gets 87 buses spread across four tehsils. Dera Ghazi Khan is set to receive 63 buses, and Bahawalpur will see 215 buses deployed across 11 tehsils.
Faisalabad, with its 12 tehsils, will receive 202 buses, while Sargodha’s 14 tehsils will be served by 198 buses. These figures reflect a rollout strategy that appears to prioritize districts based on population size and existing transport infrastructure needs.
Current Status of the Electric Bus Programme
According to the government, 612 electric buses are already fully operational across various districts in Punjab, currently benefiting millions of residents on a daily basis. An additional 192 buses in Multan and other districts are expected to become operational within the next few days, suggesting the existing programme is still actively expanding even as the tehsil-level plan moves forward.
Beyond the tehsil expansion, the Chief Minister has also approved additional electric buses for Sargodha, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Lahore, Muzaffargarh, Rawalpindi, Jhang, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Attock. A further batch of districts — Okara, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Chiniot, Layyah, Sialkot, Murree, Gujrat and Sheikhupura — will also receive additional buses as part of this wider push.
Broader Public Transport Investments
The electric bus expansion is not happening in isolation. The government confirmed that work on mass transit systems in Faisalabad and Gujranwala is progressing, while construction and rehabilitation work continues at 25 stations of the Lahore Metrobus service. Together, these projects suggest a coordinated effort to modernize public transport infrastructure across multiple Punjab cities simultaneously, rather than focusing investment on Lahore alone.
Why Tehsil-Level Coverage Matters
Extending electric bus service to the tehsil level represents a meaningful shift in how public transport investment has traditionally been distributed in Punjab, where major infrastructure projects have historically concentrated in provincial capitals and large cities. Residents of smaller tehsils often have far more limited access to reliable, affordable public transport, relying instead on informal transport options that can be costlier and less predictable.
By bringing dedicated bus depots and fleets down to the tehsil level, the government appears to be aiming for more equitable geographic distribution of public transport benefits, potentially reducing transport costs and commute times for residents in smaller administrative units who have not previously had access to organized bus services.
What Residents Can Expect
Residents in the districts named as part of this expansion — particularly Multan, Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad and Sargodha — should watch for local announcements regarding specific tehsil coverage and route details as the January 2027 rollout approaches. Given that depots are being established at the tehsil level, service should extend beyond just district headquarters, though exact route networks for each area have not yet been detailed.
Conclusion
With 1,500 additional buses approved for 91 tehsils and a broader target of 3,000 operational buses by June 2027, Punjab’s electric bus programme is entering a significantly expanded phase. If executed on schedule, the initiative could substantially improve public transport access for residents well beyond the province’s major cities, addressing a long-standing gap in Punjab’s transport infrastructure. The expansion complements Punjab’s other transport-focused initiatives, such as the same-day driving license facility for e-bike scheme applicants, while the province’s broader shift toward electric mobility echoes the federal government’s new auto policy 2026-31, which introduces its own EV incentives.