Fact-check: Did BRT Peshawar hike its fare to Rs510?

A claim circulating on WhatsApp alleges that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar has increased its fare to Rs510, making the service unaffordable for passengers. The claim was also repeated by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari during a press conference.

The claim is misleading. Rs510 is the price of the BRT travel card, not the fare.

Claim

A viral text on WhatsApp and a statement by Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari on March 6 suggested that BRT Peshawar's fare had increased from Rs110 to Rs510.

Bokhari, while addressing the media in Lahore, criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Just before coming [to the press conference], I saw on a news channel that BRT Peshawar’s fare has increased from Rs110 to Rs510, and even that card must be verified by NADRA,” she said, comparing it to Punjab’s Rs20 fare for electric buses.

Watch her full statement at 2:55.

Fact

The fare for the Bus Rapid Transit system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital city, Peshawar, is not Rs510. It actually ranges between Rs20 and Rs60. However, the price of the BRT travel card is Rs510.

Saddaf Kamil, spokesperson for TransPeshawar (which operates BRT), told Geo Fact Check: “Rs110 was never a fare, and Rs510 is certainly not the fare. Our fares are distance-based, starting at Rs20 for up to five kilometers, with a maximum of Rs60."

Kamil then shared the official notification of the latest fare structure for Peshawar’s BRT, also known as the Zu Bus, issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority on July 18, 2024. The notification confirms that the fare starts from Rs20 and goes up to Rs60.

She further clarified that the price of the BRT’s card is Rs510, which includes Rs400 for as the cost of the card, while Rs100 is the balance and Rs10 is the fee for the biometric verification of the card by NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority), for security purposes. In December the cost of the card was increased from Rs300 to Rs400.

“Even with the card, the maximum fare for the BRT remains Rs 60,” she added.

The same was confirmed by Maham Qureshi, Geo News’ Peshawar-based reporter. While the current fares are also available on the official website of TransPeshawar. The website lists the minimum fare as Rs20 and the maximum fare as Rs60.

Verdict: The claim that BRT Peshawar’s fare has been increased from Rs110 to Rs510 is misleading. In reality, Rs110 was never a fare of BRT Peshawar. The current maximum fare is Rs60, while Rs510 is the price of the travel card, not the fare.

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