Authorities in Karachi have expanded the ban on two-seater and four-seater rickshaws, adding six additional highways and arterial routes to the list in an effort to ease growing traffic congestion across the city.
Commissioner Karachi Syed Hasan Naqvi issued the new order on Thursday after receiving a recommendation from DIG Traffic Peer Muhammad Shah. The restriction has been enforced under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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Officials noted that a previous notification, issued on October 17, 2025, had barred rickshaws from operating on 20 major roads. With the latest extension, rickshaws are now prohibited on a total of 26 key routes, including Shahrah-e-Faisal.
The extended list covers major corridors such as II Chundrigar Road, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Stadium Road, Mauripur Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, University Road, Korangi Road, and several other high-traffic stretches.
Authorities said traffic flow had worsened due to rickshaws operating without permits, taking unauthorized routes, and blocking lanes on some of the busiest roads in the metropolis.
Officials linked the move to the broader traffic management plan underway in Karachi. In recent weeks, the Sindh government has also imposed a daytime ban on heavy vehicles and set a 30-kilometer-per-hour speed limit for HTVs within city limits to curb congestion and improve road safety.
The traffic police report that prompted the rickshaw restrictions stated that unauthorized rickshaws had become a “major obstruction” on critical arteries, adding that the vehicles frequently caused bottlenecks and posed safety risks for commuters.
