Most of the commuters in Dhaka face an acute shortage of public transports. The commuters, mainly office-goers having no staff buses of their own, are the worst sufferers, when they head for office in the morning. After the office hours they all are again on the streets waiting for transports for going home. Those who have staff buses are the happiest persons on the earth. So acute is the transport crisis in the city. Compared to the number of people moving from one place to another the number of transports is very insignificant. Most of the passengers suffer on the way to office and the way back home.
Moreover, the roads are crammed with private cars alongside staff buses leaving almost no space for any other mode of transports. Big transports, including double-decker BRTC buses, are used as staff and student vehicles. Some school buses are also there apart from those for women. But, unfortunately, no one thinks of the masses. They continue to be neglected as ever.
It is really embarrassing when one waits looking to beat others in a large crowd to board a bus, often jam-packed, when half-filled student or staff buses whistle past before the eyes of the commuters waiting outside for hours. According to statistics, the BRTC has 973 buses running across the country. Of them, 345 ply outside Dhaka and 145 undergo repair and 521 run in Dhaka, and, of them, 126 are staff buses.
The authority boasts of buying many buses time and again and publicise those in the media delightedly. But people are not getting benefit of it, except some privileged people.
Nowadays public buses in the private sector are dominating the roads. They stop here and there, in the middle of the road, load and unload passengers haphazardly, their conductors and helpers misbehave with passengers and charge fares arbitrarily. The authorities should take some remedial measures in view of the problems.
However, the number of passengers is increasing every passing day with the urban influx of people. The authorities should press into service more public buses to cope with the situation. If not, it will keep spiralling out of control and reach a point of no return.
Email: shamim1410@gmail.com
In a city of inadequate public transports
Ahmed Shamim Ansary (Sumon) | Published: August 09, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
Share if you like