Punjab begins Phase 2 e-bike distribution for students on November 5

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said distribution of electric bikes under the second phase of the Punjab E-Bike Scheme will begin on November 5, with more than 125,000 machines to be handed to students and young people across all 36 districts of the province.

The chief minister announced the date in a post on Facebook, according to Minute Mirror, which reported that the scheme is meant to make daily travel to schools, colleges and universities cheaper and easier.

Applications for the second phase closed on October 4. Minute Mirror reported that the programme drew more than 1.3 million registrations and over 600,000 applications, a gap between demand and the number of bikes on offer.

Under the financing plan, a qualifying student pays nothing upfront and repays the cost over three years in interest-free instalments of about Rs3,000 a month. The provincial government pays a subsidy of Rs90,000 on each bike and also covers insurance, registration and token tax, according to the report.

The bikes are fitted with a 72-volt, 30-amp-hour lithium iron phosphate battery and a 1,000-watt motor, with a top speed listed at 50 to 55 kilometres per hour.

Students enrolled in public and private educational institutions can apply, subject to eligibility conditions set for the scheme. Minute Mirror reported that the process for actually handing over the bikes, where and when beneficiaries collect them, may be announced separately.

Pakistan Observer also carried the announcement of the distribution date, without additional detail on the handover arrangements.

The announcement comes roughly three weeks after the application window shut, and the figures released with it suggest the programme is oversubscribed several times over: fewer than one in four applicants can expect a bike in this phase on the numbers reported.