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Lahore residents will soon have to pay for vehicle emission tests, as the free Emission Testing System (ETS) service is set to end on June 30.
After this date,
“ETS-related services will be outsourced to dealerships of all car and vehicle manufacturing companies operating in Lahore,” according to Raja Jahangir Anwar, Secretary of the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department.
What Changes for Vehicle Owners?
Currently offered free at 20 government-run centers across the city, the ETS will shift to authorized private dealerships, which will be equipped with emission testing machines and trained staff. Once the transition takes place, vehicle owners will be required to pay Rs. 400 per test.
The government faced issues at ETS centers. These included long queues and slow service. To address this, they decided to partner with private dealerships. The department believes that “providing the service through authorized dealerships will improve efficiency and convenience,” as more vehicles need regular testing.
Initially launched as a free-of-cost initiative, ETS centers in Lahore were supported by mobile testing squads. However, the growing number of vehicles and the limited capacity of existing centers made it challenging to meet the demand.
The shift is expected to significantly increase the number of vehicles tested. Authorities also plan to move toward stricter enforcement of emission standards once the transition is complete. This will begin after a substantial number of vehicles have been tested.
