How to Apply for the Punjab E-Taxi Scheme, and What the Portal Says Now

The Punjab e-taxi scheme takes applications only at e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk, and on 17 September 2026 that portal said registration was closed. Its home page still shows the original last date, 5 October 2025, with a countdown at zero. So the "5 October 2026 deadline" on scheme websites is last year's date with the year changed. Below is what the portal itself says about who qualifies, what you pay and how the form works, so you're ready the day it reopens.

We opened the portal's registration page, its FAQ, its model list and its company list, and we read the Punjab Portal page on the project. Every figure below comes from those pages unless we say otherwise. The portal's own counter shows 66,010 people started a registration and 22,882 finished an application, which tells you how much competition 1,100 taxis attract.

One small warning before you start. The portal's security certificate had expired when we read it, so your browser may show a warning page. The site behind it is real and belongs to the Transport and Masstransit Department. Sites on any other address that claim to take e-taxi forms are not.

Is the Punjab e-taxi scheme open for applications right now?

No. The registration page at e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk/register shows the words "Registration Closed" and no form. The home page says applications closed on 5 October 2025. We found no official notice of a second round, and the FAQ has not been updated to mention one.

That matters because dozens of pages are telling readers to hurry before 5 October 2026. We could not find that date on the portal, on the Punjab Portal or on the Transport Department site. The one date the government published was 5 October 2025, and the ballot that followed it was reported by the Express Tribune on 18 November 2025 as due by the end of that month.

The scheme did go live. Dawn reported on 26 February 2026 that the Chief Minister launched the first e-taxis in Lahore, with a subsidy of Rs 4 billion and a 30 percent quota for women. So the first batch has been allocated, and what you're waiting for is a new round. Bookmark the portal and check the register page rather than trusting a countdown on someone else's site.

Who qualifies for a Punjab e-taxi?

You must be a Punjab resident by the permanent address on your CNIC, at least 21 years old when you apply and no older than 60 when the loan ends, with a valid motor car, LTV or HTV driving licence. One application per CNIC. A learner permit is not accepted.

The FAQ splits applicants into two groups.

Two things trip people up. First, the licence has to be a full one. If you're still on a learner permit in Punjab, the route to a full licence is the same one every Punjab driver follows, and the Punjab driving licence process takes weeks, so start it before any new round opens. An expired licence counts against you too, and renewing a Punjab licence is quicker than getting a new one. Second, the ride hailing rule is not optional. You must be registered with a ride hailing app in Lahore before the car is handed over, which is why the FAQ says fleet owners should preferably be from Lahore.

The 400 and 700 split is what the scheme portal shows. The Punjab Portal's own project page shows a different split, 1,000 for fleet owners and 100 for individuals, with 70 men and 30 women. We're reporting the scheme portal's numbers because that is where applications were taken, but the two official pages do not agree and we could not find out which is current.

How much do you pay for an e-taxi under the scheme?

You pay 30 percent of the vehicle's invoice price as equity, and the province pays half of that for men or 60 percent for women. The bank finances the rest, up to Rs 4,550,000, at zero markup over five years. On the portal's own example the applicant's cash share is Rs 975,000.

Here is that example as the FAQ sets it out, for an individual man buying a Rs 6,500,000 car:

• Equity at 30 percent: Rs 1,950,000.
• Punjab's capital subsidy at 50 percent of the equity: Rs 975,000.
• Left for you to pay: Rs 975,000.
• Bank of Punjab finances: Rs 4,550,000.

A woman on the same car pays Rs 780,000, because her subsidy is 60 percent of the equity. That is our arithmetic on the FAQ's percentages, not a figure the portal prints.

The loan is repaid in 57 equal monthly instalments of principal plus insurance, after a three month grace period, which is how five years are made up. Markup is zero because the Government of Punjab pays it. There is no penalty for paying early. Pay late and the charge is Rs 1 per Rs 1,000 per day on the overdue principal, or whatever the bank's schedule of charges says.

Three costs sit outside the instalments. The bank charges a processing fee of Rs 5,000 per vehicle and Rs 1,500 per physical verification. The first year's insurance premium is paid upfront. And if you pick a car priced above the Rs 6,500,000 cap the bank works from, the difference is yours to pay upfront too, and the subsidy is not calculated on it.

Until the loan is cleared, the car is registered in the name of The Bank of Punjab. It is transferred to you after the final instalment. Punjab pays the registration fee and token tax. An OBD tracker is fitted and geo-tagged to the province, and the FAQ says the car may only operate inside Punjab.

Which e-taxi models can you choose?

Seven electric cars from five companies are listed on the portal, from a Rs 4,399,000 Honri with 300 km of range to an Rs 11,125,000 SkyWell. You pick one model when you apply and the FAQ says you cannot change it afterwards, so choose with the Rs 6,500,000 financing cap in mind.

Delivery is listed as 90 days for six of them and 60 days for the Dongfeng, counted from the day you pay your equity. Every model carries a battery and motor warranty of 300,000 km or six years, whichever comes first, and every car gets a tracker, a panic button and the government's approved taxi branding.

Four of the seven sit under the Rs 6,500,000 cap. The Honri only uses slow charging, which the portal lists plainly, and that matters for a car meant to run all day. The Sinogold, the R500S and the SkyWell all cost more than the cap, so the extra is paid upfront with no subsidy on it.

How do you apply on the e-taxi portal, step by step?

Everything happens on e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk. You register with your CNIC, choose your category and one model, upload your documents and submit. If there are more applicants than taxis, the FAQ says selection is by e-balloting, and the winners then pay their equity to Bank of Punjab.

1. Open e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk and press Register. If the page says Registration Closed, stop, because nowhere else takes applications.
2. Create a login with your CNIC, in the 12345-1234567-1 format the form uses, and your own mobile number.
3. Choose individual or fleet owner. Fleet owners apply for at least 10 vehicles.
4. Pick one model from the portal list. It cannot be changed after you submit.
5. Fill in your personal details and driving licence, and upload scans of your CNIC and licence. The licence number is checked against the provincial record, so verifying your licence online first saves a rejection later.
6. Submit and keep your login. The portal's progress bar tracks your application at each stage.
7. If you're selected in the ballot, Bank of Punjab runs its checks, then you pay your equity and the delivery clock starts.

The bank's checks are real and the FAQ lists the reasons it can refuse you: a failed physical verification, a poor credit report from ECIB, a debt burden ratio that says you cannot repay, a name screening failure, false information, or missing documents. ECIB is the State Bank's credit bureau, so an unpaid loan or card elsewhere will show up. Fleet owners financing more than 50 vehicles must also offer collateral.

Being picked in the ballot is not the same as getting the car. The ballot only decides whose file the bank opens.

What is the women's quota and how does it work?

100 of the 400 individual taxis are reserved for women, and a woman's capital subsidy is 60 percent of her equity rather than 50 percent. On the portal's Rs 6,500,000 example that lowers her upfront share from Rs 975,000 to Rs 780,000.

The other rules are the same. She needs a full licence, a Punjab CNIC, one application, and registration with a ride hailing app before delivery. Dawn's report of the launch put the women's quota at 30 percent overall, which is how 100 out of 400 individual taxis reads if the fleet allocation is left out.

How do you avoid the e-taxi scams?

The official portal is free, it is the only place to apply, and there is no agent, form fee or reserved slot. Anyone charging money to "register" you for the Punjab e-taxi scheme is selling something the government does not sell.

Four tells give a fake away:

• A different web address. The scheme lives at e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk and nowhere else.
• A fee to apply. The portal charges nothing. The only fees are the bank's, and they come after the ballot.
• A deadline the portal does not show. Today the portal says closed, whatever a countdown elsewhere claims.
• A monthly instalment quoted as fact. The portal publishes a repayment schedule for download but no single instalment figure, because the amount depends on the model and on your equity.

The genuine helpline is Bank of Punjab's, on 042-111-333-267, and the portal's email is support@etaxi.pitb.gov.pk. If you were part of last year's round, log in with your CNIC and password to see your status rather than calling anyone who messages you first.

The same pattern sits behind the province's other transport schemes, and the CM Punjab e-bike scheme for students runs on its own portal with its own ballot. Neither scheme accepts a paper form or a WhatsApp application.

Common questions about the Punjab e-taxi scheme

What is the last date to apply for the Punjab e-taxi scheme?

The portal shows 5 October 2025 as the last date and now says registration is closed. No new date has been published on any official page we could find.

Can I apply if I live outside Punjab?

No. The FAQ says the scheme is for Punjab residents only, checked against the permanent address on your CNIC.

Is the e-taxi loan really interest free?

Yes. The FAQ says the markup rate is zero for borrowers because the Government of Punjab pays it. You still pay a Rs 5,000 processing fee and Rs 1,500 per verification.

Can I apply with a learner licence?

No. A valid motor car, LTV or HTV licence is mandatory, and the FAQ says a learner permit does not qualify.

Who owns the taxi during the loan?

The Bank of Punjab. The car is registered in the bank's name and transferred to you after the last instalment.

How many people applied last time?

The portal's counter shows 22,882 completed applications for 1,100 taxis, so roughly one in twenty went to the ballot with a chance.

Can I run the e-taxi outside Punjab?

No. The FAQ says the vehicles may operate only within Punjab, and the tracker is geo-tagged to the province.

Last checked and sources

Last checked 17 September 2026. We read the official scheme portal at e-taxi.punjab.gov.pk on that date: the registration page, which displays "Registration Closed"; the home page, which shows a last date of 5 October 2025 and counters of 66,010 registrations, 22,882 applications, 154 fleet owner applications and 22,728 individual applications; the full FAQ, which is the source for the age limits, residency, licence, one application per CNIC, the 400 and 700 allocation, the Rs 4,550,000 and Rs 1,000,000,000 loan caps, the 30 percent equity, the 50, 60, 40 and 30 percent subsidies, the Rs 6,500,000 worked example, the 57 instalments and three month grace, the zero markup, the late charge, the Rs 5,000 and Rs 1,500 bank fees, first year insurance upfront, ownership by The Bank of Punjab, the tracker, e-balloting, the bank's refusal grounds and the helpline; the models page, which lists the seven cars, their prices, ranges, charging type and delivery periods; and the companies page, which lists the five suppliers. We also read the Punjab Portal page on the E-Taxi project, which gives a Rs 3.5 billion subsidy and a 1,000 to 100 allocation that differs from the scheme portal, and the Transport Department's E-Taxi page, whose two PDFs are scanned images we could not read. The launch on 26 February 2026, the Rs 4 billion subsidy and the 30 percent women's quota are reported by Dawn. The 28,000 applications and the November 2025 ballot through Bank of Punjab are reported by the Express Tribune of 18 November 2025 and differ from the portal's own counter. A woman's Rs 780,000 share is our arithmetic on the FAQ's percentages. We could not verify any reopening date, and none is published.