The Capital Development Authority says it will run electric double-decker buses at Islamabad's recreational destinations, on a dedicated sightseeing route serving more than 15 sites, with each bus carrying up to 90 passengers.
Four buses have been approved for procurement. What has not been announced is when they run, where you board, or what a ticket costs.
There is one detail in CDA's own description that almost no coverage has led with, and it is arguably the most significant thing in the announcement.
What CDA Has Said
On 24 September a CDA spokesperson told Associated Press of Pakistan that the authority is planning electric double-deckers on a dedicated sightseeing route.
The route would connect more than 15 recreational, scenic and heritage locations. Six were named: Lake View Park, Shakarparian, Pakistan Monument, Faisal Mosque, Daman-i-Koh and D-Chowk.
In the most recent statement, CDA's administration said the service would cover recreational places across the capital and would be built to international standards. No individual official was named in that announcement.
Four Buses, Approved by the Board
The CDA Board, chaired by Chairman Sohail Ashraf, approved the procurement of four double-decker buses at its 24 September meeting, according to reporting of that meeting. This figure has not appeared in CDA's statements through the state news agency, so treat the number four as reported rather than officially confirmed.
The Detail Everyone Is Missing
CDA's description includes low-floor boarding and dedicated wheelchair spaces. That is not a tourism feature. That is an accessibility specification, and it is unusual to see it stated up front in a Pakistani public transport announcement.
The capacity figure is also more specific than most reports suggest: a maximum of 90 passengers including 67 seats. So roughly a quarter of a full load is standing, which tells you this is specified as a transport vehicle and not purely as an open-top tour bus.
Air-conditioning, modern braking, stability and suspension systems and zero tailpipe emissions are also listed. Our reading is that this specification points at a working service rather than a novelty — but that is our interpretation, not CDA's stated intent.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Dedicated sightseeing route, 15-plus sites | Stated by CDA |
| 90 maximum capacity, 67 seats | Stated by CDA |
| Low-floor boarding, wheelchair spaces | Stated by CDA |
| Four buses approved | Reported, not in CDA statements |
| Fares | Not announced |
| Boarding points | Not announced |
| Operating frequency | Not announced |
| Launch date | Not announced |
| Procurement cost | Not announced |
| Battery capacity, range, charging power | Not announced |
CDA has said fares, operating frequency, boarding points and the launch date are all still to be announced.
Islamabad Already Runs a Large Electric Bus Network
This would not be the capital's first step into electric transport, and the existing numbers are bigger than most people realise.
In February, at the inauguration of a new fleet, depot and charging station, APP reported the service running across 21 routes with the fleet up to 160 buses and carrying 125,000 passengers a day, against a stated target of 250,000.
The depot was built for 64 charging units, with 50 installed at the time and 14 more to follow. Each charger was described as powering two buses in about two hours.
Why That Matters for the Double-Deckers
A city running 160 electric buses already has the depot capacity, the charging hardware and the fleet-management experience that four more vehicles would need. The hard part of electrification is the infrastructure, and Islamabad has already paid for most of it.
Pakistan's First Electric Double-Deckers?
Double-deckers themselves are not new to Pakistan. They returned to Karachi's roads in 2026 after decades away, and that attracted a lot of attention.
But the five double-deckers that entered service in Karachi are diesel, introduced alongside a separate batch of 34 electric single-deck buses.
So the distinction worth drawing is a narrow one, and it is not that Pakistan lacks double-deckers. It is that Islamabad's four would be electric double-deckers, which is a combination the country has not run before.
What to Watch Next
The procurement plan is the thing to follow. Four buses is a pilot, not a network, and whether this becomes real transport or a weekend attraction depends on frequency and boarding points more than on the vehicles.
The second thing to watch is the fare. A sightseeing fare and a public transport fare are different products, and CDA has not yet said which this is.
Final Thoughts
CDA has approved four electric double-deckers for a sightseeing route taking in more than 15 of Islamabad's recreational and heritage sites, specified at 90 passengers with 67 seats, low-floor boarding and wheelchair spaces.
Everything that decides whether it works — fares, frequency, boarding points, launch date — is still unannounced, and no battery or range figure has been published at all. We are not going to estimate any of them.
For context on where passenger EVs are heading here, our coverage of the Suzuki e SKY EV looks at the same shift from the private-car side.
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