The Sindh government Tuesday agreed to allow intra-city public transport in the provincial capital Karachi from Wednesday (tomorrow).

Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Tuesday, Sindh Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah said: “Inter-city transport will be started from Wednesday (tomorrow) in Karachi with strict implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).”

Awais said the transporters have assured the government to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

“We have made this decision after taking transporters in confidence while only online and intra-city bus service are given a go ahead,” he said. “If SOPs are not followed then public transport will once again be banned,” warned the minister.

He clarified that inter-city bus service has not been given permission to resume the operations in the province.

According to SOPs, the transporters will not be allowed to accommodate more passengers than the seating capacity of the bus or the vehicle. “Wearing masks are compulsory for the passengers while vehicle will not be allowed to continue its service if they violate the SOPs,” he added.

A monitoring and inspection team has been constituted to ensure that social distancing guidelines and SOPs are followed by transporters to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Awais said that action will be taken if it is discovered that masks and sanitizers are not present in any public transport vehicle. He added that the notification regarding the resumption of public transport will be issued tonight.

The provincial government has also allowed online transport services to resume operations as well, however, with proper guidelines in place. As per the SOPs, only two people in a car at a time will be allowed to travel, said the minister.

“One more person can be added in an emergency situation,” said the minister. He added that they will be allowed to resume operations on a seat by seat basis.

On the other hand, Sindh Home department said in a notification that businesses will only remain open from Monday to Friday – 06:00 AM to 07:00 PM – in the province.