Metro Bus and BRT Fares and Timings in Pakistan, City by City

A Metro Bus ride in Lahore or between Rawalpindi and Islamabad costs Rs 30 a trip, and Rs 25 in Multan. The Lahore Orange Line costs Rs 25 to Rs 45 by distance. Peshawar's BRT charges Rs 30 to Rs 70 by distance. Most lines run from about 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Those are the figures the operators publish themselves. We read the Punjab Masstransit Authority's fare policy, operating hours and FAQ pages, the TransPeshawar fare table dated April 2026, and the Sindh Mass Transit Authority and TransKarachi pages on 28 September 2026. Karachi is the gap: its operators do not publish a fare table we could read, so its fares below are marked as reported.

One thing surprises most first-time riders. In Punjab you cannot just hand over cash at the gate. You need a card, a QR code or the app.

Metro bus and BRT fares in every city

Punjab's three Metro Bus lines charge a flat fare per one-way trip: Rs 30 in Lahore and on the Rawalpindi Islamabad line, and Rs 25 in Multan. The Orange Line train and Peshawar's BRT charge by distance, so a longer trip costs more.

There is a time limit on the Punjab Metro Bus. The PMA fare policy says you must exit within 1 hour and 15 minutes of tapping in. Stay longer and an extra fare is charged. That matters if you fall asleep on a slow evening run.

The Orange Line uses distance bands. Up to 4 km costs Rs 25, then Rs 30 up to 8 km, Rs 35 up to 12 km, Rs 40 up to 16 km, and Rs 45 for anything from 16 km to 30 km. So the full ride from Ali Town to Dera Gujran costs Rs 45.

Peshawar BRT fares go up in 5 km steps

TransPeshawar's table, uploaded in April 2026, charges Rs 30 for trips under 5 km and rises in steps to Rs 70 for trips over 35 km. A cash single journey ticket costs Rs 70, and express buses on feeder routes charge a fixed Rs 55.

The cash ticket is the trap. It costs Rs 70 for any distance, so a 4 km hop that costs Rs 30 on a card costs more than double in cash. Tap your Zu Card when you enter and again when you leave, or TransPeshawar charges the maximum fare.

Card, QR code or cash on each system

Punjab's lines accept only the T-Cash card, a QR code or the eTransit app. PMA does not list cash as a way to pay. Peshawar accepts the Zu Card, the Zu app, or a Rs 70 cash ticket on the main corridor only, not on feeder routes.

• Punjab T-Cash card: a Bank of Punjab prepaid card that works on the Metro Bus, Orange Line, Speedo and Electro buses. PMA's FAQ puts the total at Rs 275: Rs 130 card fee, Rs 130 delivery and Rs 15 service charge. A duplicate also costs Rs 275.
• Minimum top-up in Punjab: Rs 100. The maximum balance is Rs 50,000 under State Bank rules, according to the eTransit portal.
• Peshawar Zu Card: Rs 300 at Zu stations. The balance does not expire. Recharge at station booths, ticket machines, online banking, or Easypaisa and JazzCash shops.

You apply for T-Cash through the eTransit portal, the app, or the 1762 helpline. You must be 18 with a valid CNIC. Children can use a guardian's card, and infants ride free.

1. Open etransit.punjab.gov.pk or the eTransit app and register with your CNIC.
2. Apply for a T-Cash card and pick the station where you will collect it.
3. Pay the Rs 275 total, which covers the card, delivery and service charge.
4. Collect the card from your chosen station within 10 days, or it may be sent back.
5. Top up at least Rs 100 by Bank of Punjab app or by IBFT from any bank.

Students get free rides, and other concessions are less clear

Students in Punjab get two free journeys a day with a Student T-Cash card, from Class 6 up to 18 years of education. The virtual student card is free. Punjab also lists senior citizen and special person cards, but does not publish their benefit on the pages we read.

The student card works only during the academic session, not in vacations or on gazetted holidays. Students must be over 11, and PVTC and TEVTA students are included. A physical student card costs Rs 145.

The eTransit app shows two more card types, "Senior Citizen T-Cash Card" and "Special Person T-Cash Card". We could not find the discount, the age limit or the documents for either on PMA's public pages. Ask at a station counter or call 1762 before you rely on a free ride. A senior citizen card from your province and a special CNIC with the disability logo are the documents most likely to be asked for.

Peshawar publishes no fare discount at all. Its FAQ lists reserved seats for elderly and disabled riders and a separate section for women.

Metro bus timings: most lines run 6 AM to 10 PM

PMA's operating hours page lists the Lahore Metro Bus and Orange Line at 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The Rawalpindi Islamabad and Multan lines run 6:15 AM to 10:00 PM. Peshawar's BRT runs 6 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week.

Two small warnings. PMA's own FAQ gives Lahore Metro Bus hours as 6:15 AM, while its operating hours page says 6:00 AM. The sources differ, so plan for 6:15 to be safe. And in the last hour, 9:00 to 10:00 PM, Lahore buses from Gajjumata towards Shahdara come only every 6 minutes.

Some Peshawar express routes end as early as 5:30 PM on TransPeshawar's route plan. That plan dates from 2023, so check the Zu app before an evening trip.

Karachi's Green Line and People's Bus fares are reported, not published

Neither the Sindh Mass Transit Authority nor TransKarachi publishes a current fare table we could read. The Green Line is widely reported at Rs 15 to Rs 55 by distance, and the People's Bus at Rs 80 or Rs 120, with Rs 50 on the Pink bus for women. Confirm on board.

SMTA's own page confirms what runs. The People's Bus Service has 210 red buses on 10 routes, 28 Pink buses on 2 routes, and 40 electric buses on 3 routes. The operator is NRTC, under a 12-year contract that runs to October 2033.

The Red Line is not running yet. TransKarachi still describes it in the future tense: a 24.2 km main corridor from Malir Halt to Numaish, plus 2.4 km on to Tower. We would not plan any trip around it.

The Green Line is run by a separate Sindh government company whose website did not load when we tried it.

What to do when something goes wrong

Call the line's own helpline first. PMA runs (042) 111-222-627 for Lahore, (051) 111-222-627 for Rawalpindi and (061) 111-222-627 for Multan, plus 1762 for T-Cash cards. TransPeshawar's helpline is 111-477-477.

If your card fails at a Punjab gate, ask station staff or call 1762. In Peshawar, a faulty Zu Card is replaced free within five working days. A lost one is not refunded, but a card registered to your CNIC can have its balance moved.

Service disruptions do happen. In August 2026 the operator of the Lahore line threatened to stop the Metro Bus over a fuel dispute, and talks kept it running. The operator blamed diesel, whose daily price had moved faster than its fuel contract allowed for.

Common questions

What is the Lahore Metro Bus fare in 2026?

Rs 30 for a one-way trip of any length, according to PMA's fare policy. You must exit within 1 hour and 15 minutes of tapping in, or an extra fare is charged.

Can I pay cash on the Lahore Metro Bus or Orange Line?

PMA lists only three ways to pay: the T-Cash card, a QR code and the eTransit app. It does not list cash. Set up the app's QR code before you reach the station.

Is the metro bus free for students in Punjab?

Students get two free journeys a day with a Student T-Cash card, from Class 6 up to 18 years of education. It works only during the academic session, not in vacations or on gazetted holidays.

How much is the Peshawar BRT fare?

Rs 30 for under 5 km, rising to Rs 70 for over 35 km. A cash single journey ticket costs Rs 70, and feeder express buses charge Rs 55.

What time does the Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro Bus start?

6:15 AM, and the last service is at 10:00 PM, with a bus every 2.25 to 3 minutes, according to PMA's operating hours page.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 28 September 2026. Punjab fares, the 1 hour 15 minute exit limit, Orange Line distance bands and feeder fares are read on the Punjab Masstransit Authority's fare policy page. Hours and headways are read on PMA's operating hours page, and the 6:15 AM Lahore time on its FAQ, which also gives the Rs 275 T-Cash cost, the age rule and the helplines. Student card rules, the Rs 145 physical student card, the Rs 100 minimum top-up and the Senior Citizen and Special Person card names are read in the eTransit portal at etransit.punjab.gov.pk. Peshawar fares are read on the TransPeshawar fare table uploaded April 2026, and hours, card rules and cash tickets on its FAQ and route plan. Karachi service details are read on SMTA and TransKarachi pages. Karachi fares are reported only, because no Sindh operator page we could open publishes them. We did not ride the lines for this update.