A Pak-China luxury bus service has embarked on its maiden journey from Lahore to the city of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang province, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and Shuja Express together launched the bus service between Pakistan and China to facilitate tourists as part of an initiative to connect both countries via road under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Lahore-Kashgar bus will run four days a week, on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, while the Kashgar-Lahore bus will run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The journey will take a total of 36 hours, and the bus will make five stops along the way before it crosses into China at the Khunjerab Pass.
Travellers will require a valid visa and ID card to make the journey.
The one-way fare is Rs13,000, while a round trip will cost Rs23,000, according to Radio Pakistan.
PTDC official Mukhtar Ali told APPon Monday that the bus service would allow visitors, especially monks, to visit sacred Buddhist sites dating back to the Gandhara era. The much-awaited bus service between Pakistan and China started its first operation on a Monday night.
The bus will make another trip on Wednesday. These two tour are part of its trial run while its operation will begin next week.
A private company, North-South Transport Service, is authorised to look after its operation between Lahore and Kashgar city of Chinese.
The distance between the two cities will be covered in around 3o hours and passengers will be served food and tea on different designated places.
