The Metro bus projects in Lahore and Rawalpindi have been criticised by politicians and the news media. Some question their high capital costs, others question if we needed such transit in the first place, and still others would like to have the same funds diverted instead to education and health.

Efficient and reliable public transit is a necessary service that the private sector has failed to provide in Pakistan, forcing the State to offer such services.

A plethora of schools, hospitals, and communication infrastructure supplied by the private sector speaks volumes of its ability to deliver for-profit infrastructure and services. The private sector, however, has always failed to deliver quality public transit, among other municipal services, leaving the public sector with no option but to intervene.

Thus, the buses and subways in New York and Chicago, and the Metro bus service in Lahore and Rawalpindi, have to be developed and operated by the public sector.

Know more: Karachi’s public transport on the verge of collapse: report

Metros, or efficient and reliable public transit, are a necessity and not a luxury for urban Pakistan. The private sector, over the past six decades, has made a mess of urban transit services and offered, at best, para-transit in the form of Suzukis, Wagons, and Qingjis. The Punjab government, which once was an active player in delivering urban public transit, had to intervene and offer competitive transit service to those who cannot afford motorised modes of travel, and reduce the demand for motorised trips by offering a viable public transit alternative.