But if the cost of petrol was taken away completely and the profit is kept the same then the cost would be way cheaper: It would be Rs 300+Rs360 = Rs 660 for 300 kms and the rate will fall to just Rs 2 per km.
For now Mr Aslam Azad’s company Economia has planned 30 taxi stands and waiting areas have been proposed including two stations each at secretariat Kulsoom Plaza, Shaheed Millat, NIC Building, Centaurus, PIMS, 9Th Avenue Junction, Karachi Company, Peshawar Mor, Industrial area, IJP Junction and Faizabad, while six stands are kept for future provisions.
They have proposed to volunteer to build taxi stands at every metro bus station. Solar cars waiting there would carry passengers from bus station to different sectors of the city.
Company owner, Aslam Azad said that this new taxi system will provide people with low cost transport and it will reduce import bill. “Government is providing low cost transport through Metro bus, but it does not fully cover Islamabad and people would have to use taxi to reach their destination”, he said.
Azad said after Islamabad, this solar car system can be introduced in other cities also. Despite his ambitious plan, he is aware that there are many challenges in making this car acceptable to Pakistani people, who are addicted to high-speed motor vehicles.
Azad’s solar car prototype is in testing stage yet but he is hopeful that within few months he will start its production on commercial scale. “It is the world’s first solar car which will be produced on commercial scale; as we are testing it, we are making it better every day, but we would surely start commercial manufacturing way before inauguration of Metro, which is on August 14, 2014,” he said.