Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari says Peshawar BRT fare increased to Rs510

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and has established that it is false.

To arrive at this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team contacted the spokesperson of TransPeshawar to see if the fare hike allegation was correct and checked information about the current fares.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari addressed a press conference on March 6, 2025, in which she criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, with one of her assertions being that the fare for Peshawar’s bus rapid transport (BRT) system was increased to Rs510 from Rs110. However, no such fare increase has occurred.

The Punjab government, and Bukhari in particular, often criticise the KP government for its governance and performance. In her March 6 press conference, the provincial information minister had blasted the KP government for its alleged failure in governance, infrastructure development and public service delivery.

HOW IT STARTED

Bukhari addressed a press conference in Lahore on March 6 in which she compared KP’s performance with Punjab’s recent initiatives. The press conference was shared by the PML-N on its official YouTube channel.

At the 2:56-minute mark of the video, she said: “I saw on TV, there was news running on one channel, that the fare for the Peshawar BRT has increased to Rs510 from Rs110 and its card will have to be verified from Nadra. So the thought came to me, it is a matter of our own fates but, the BRT which catches fire more, falls in ditches more and does not operate that much, its fare has been increased to Rs510 from Rs110 and on the other hand, my chief minister has kept the fare of the 27 electric buses plying in Lahore at Rs20.”

The Punjab information minister offered no other details, evidence or elaboration for her assertion, nor did she mention the media outlet that ran the alleged news.

The clip was shared by various PTI supporters on social media platform X, mocking the Punjab minister for her error in saying the fare was increased to Rs110 from Rs510 or disputing her allegation as being false, with one such post gaining over 69,000 views while the others can be seen here, here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim to corroborate the high number of PTI supporters disputing Bukhari’s assertion and for accountability of a present government official.

A keyword search conducted to corroborate any recent fare increases for the Peshawar BRT or the increase mentioned by the Punjab information minister did not yield any results, reports or news bulletins covering the alleged price hike.

News reports from last year on fare hikes also did not mention any figures close to Rs110 or Rs510. According to a report by Aaj News published on October 1, 2024, the Peshawar BRT increased fares on express routes by Rs35, raising the price from Rs20 to Rs55.

Another report by state news outlet APP, also published on October 1, 2024, stated that the KP Urban Mobility Authority (KPUMA) had introduced flat-rate fares for express routes, replacing the previous distance-based system. As per KPUMA’s press release, the new Rs55 flat fare aimed to enhance convenience, particularly for long-distance passengers.

Reviewing the TransPeshawar website to verify whether the fare had increased as claimed by Bukhari showed the updated prices as of July 22, 2024, with the lowest being Rs20 and the highest being Rs60.

The same fare list was available on the service’s app as well.

The only comparable amount to Rs510 mentioned on the BRT operator’s website was Rs400 for its card, not the fare.

Contacting the TransPeshawar BRT spokesperson via Dawn correspondent Zahid Imdad yielded the following statement: “There is no truth in the news of an increase in BRT fares. The current BRT fare is from Rs20-60. There has been no increase in the price of the card either. The price of the card is Rs400. There is also no truth in the news of the price of Rs510. Only Rs 60 is required in the card to travel.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim made by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari about a fare hike for the Peshawar BRT to Rs510 is false.

No evidence or news report was found for the alleged increase as claimed by her and all publicly available information about the prices showed that they ranged from Rs20-60, which was confirmed by the BRT service’s spokesperson as well.

Evidence and References

October 1, 2024, APP news report: https://www.app.com.pk/business/kpuma-introduces-flat-rate-fares-for-brt-express-routes/

October 1, 2024, Aaj News report: https://english.aaj.tv/news/330382036/peshawar-brt-increases-buses-fares-operating-on-express-routes

TransPeshawar fare information:
https://transpeshawar.pk/passenger-services/fares-recharge/