New players entering Karachi's transport market to fill the void left by govt.

KARACHI -- As the federal and provincial governments have failed to complete their respective bus rapid transit system (BRTS) schemes, local and international players are poised to capitalise on a huge business opportunity in Karachi's transport sector as two ride-sharing services have launched their van and bus service while another is set to enter the market.

To fill the void, two private operators - Airlift and SWVL - have already registered hundreds of vans and Coasters for their respective ride-sharing bus service apps.

'It's a city of 22 million people so the transport needs of Karachi are massive,' said Shahzeb Memon of SWVL - an Egypt-based ride-hailing business that recently launched its services in Karachi.

'Currently we have introduced 13- and 22-seater vans and Coasters but it doesn't end here. The [number of] buses and vehicles would grow gradually as well as their capacity. We have close to 100 routes in Karachi alone,' he said.

Bus ride-sharing services Airlift and SWVL have launched their operations in the metropolis

Private operators say the city offers immense business opportunities when it comes to transport service. This pushed their organisations to pursue operations in Karachi where the public sector transport system has almost collapsed and new projects are still in the pipeline.

Mr Memon said that the city offered such a big transport market that one could not handle it alone.

Like SWVL, Airlift has also started its operation across the city and scores of vehicles painted with the company's logo are found on the roads of Karachi in almost all districts.

The new ride-sharing services have started operations in Karachi and Lahore with private bus operators and industry sources say the two services are now offering more than 800 such vans and Coasters to Karachiites and their number is expected to increase within the next few months.

'Another private company which is already in the ride-hailing cab business is set to add value to its operation and going to introduce a bus service like Airlift and SWVL,' said an industry source. 'The reason behind such a plan is very simple. This city is huge with poor infrastructure and declining public service facilities...