Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz formally inaugurated Pakistan’s first e-taxi scheme on Thursday, saying the initiative would promote women’s employment and provide an environmentally friendly transport option.

Addressing the ceremony in Lahore, she said Punjab was the first province to launch the project, which would create ‘a respectable source of employment’ while supporting sustainable transport.

More than 30 per cent of the scheme’s vehicles have been reserved for women. The government will cover 60 per cent of the down payment for female drivers and 50 per cent for male drivers.

In the first phase, 1,100 electric vehicles will be provided under the scheme, backed by a government subsidy of 4 billion rupees.

Nawaz also announced plans to introduce a green bus service in every tehsil and a trackless train project in the province

She said 1,500 new buses would be added initially, with another 1,100 buses to follow.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the e-taxi scheme would empower women, particularly single mothers, and said the government was taking practical steps to provide relief to citizens, claiming that inflation was declining.

She also highlighted other initiatives, including the Nighaban Ramzan package, free medicine and ambulance services, and smog control measures, saying it was her mission to deliver citizens’ rights directly to their doorsteps.