Multifarious problems stand in way of new buses in Dhaka

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Md Saifullah Khaled | Published: September 05, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

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The Bangladesh economy incurs a loss to the tune of US$ 2.00 billion due to severe traffic jam every day.  Experts say a bus can cover 18 kilometres an hour while the pace of buses is only seven kilometres in the Dhaka city because of distressing traffic jam. Some transport owners say that after launching their buses on the street, they have to give toll to Malik Sramik Samity (MSS) and law enforcing agency on a daily or monthly basis. Even buses of the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) cannot ply the streets unless permitted by the MSS.   
It is reported that some 50 BRTC buses have been stopped because of pressure from MSS, hartal, blockade and vandalism during the last 20 years. The president of Bhola District Awami League said that as most of the buses operating in the district were old, he launched four new buses in the district bypassing Malik Samity. He claims that he could not operate those buses smoothly on the streets as he refused to give toll to the Samity. Secretary General of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity said there is no specific rule of becoming a member of MSS by giving money. It was in practice long before. They inform the local administration to take necessary actions in vain if there is report of toll collection or extortion in the name of organisations.
However, there are 1.3 million three-wheelers including auto-rickshaws, Nasimon, Karimon, Bhatbati and easy bikes plying the roads and highways. Now the government is facing hassles to remove those from plying the highways. Before launching new buses on the streets, one has to pay Tk 100,000 to Tk 1.5 million to get primary membership of MSS. Transport specialists and experts said there is no research on the demand and supply of transports to meet the demand for the whole country. They expressed the view that investment in the public transports has dropped because of MSS syndicate. The existing vehicles cannot meet public demand. A significant number of three-wheelers have been added to the street transports as there is shortage of buses.         
The government has launched a drive against plying of 20 years old buses and mini-buses in the city. Against this backdrop, transport owners have stopped plying buses on the streets causing immense sufferings to pedestrians and bus riders. Some 30 per cent buses and minibuses operating across the country are 20 years old while 61 per cent are 10 years old. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) says that a total of 61,589 buses and mini-buses are registered with the organisation so far. Out of those 40,822 buses are 10 years old while 18,054 buses and mini-buses are 20 years old. Another source of BRTA said after 1995, a total of 43,535 buses and mini-buses were registered while during the last 20 years 213,162 three-wheelers and tempos were registered excluding the unregistered ones.
Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation said they have sent a proposal to the government on minimising the use of private family cars to improve city public transport system. However, the proposal has been lying with the government pending considerations. Treasurer of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity said that there are 225 buses plying the Dhaka-Gazipur route. By now the number of buses has dropped to 85 on this route. Earlier the company named Provati-Banasri used to make six trips a day, but now the trip has dropped to only three. Sources said that bus companies like Rangdhanu, Pubali, Myline, Tashiko, Shakti, Transilva, Blue-Bird, Kapotakkho, One-line, Ervin, Modhumati, Karnaphuly, Greatwall, Pink City, Rahbar , Panjeri and Manzil have stopped their operation due to nagging traffic jam that prevails in the city.
Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation said he will meet transport owners regarding introducing new buses in the streets to meet public demand. He said at least Tk 40 billion is required to buy buses to hit city roads to meet demands of the city dwellers. He further said that he will also meet NBR to know as to how new buses can be procured at low prices. FBCCI termed the high bank interest a major barrier to running all sorts of businesses including transport business in Bangladesh and demanded that the bank interest rate should be brought down to single digit to facilitate investments.
Road Transport and Bridges Division maintains that some 100 new passenger buses will hit city roads soon. A meeting of Dhaka Regional Transport Committee was held recently that decided to launch 1,280 new buses on different city routes to ease country's transport crisis. The matter was pending for four different reasons so far; now decision has been taken that 100 new buses will be launched soon and the rest 1,180 buses will be launched within next six months, according to Regional Transport Committee.
Association of Bus Companies launched city buses in Dhaka 10-12 years back with a view to improving public transport services. Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity said Association of Bus Companies (ABC) have closed operation of a total of 44 companies in the last seven years because of nagging traffic jam, high prices of spare parts, rise of CNG gas several times, toll collection by law enforcing agency and other organisations and dilapidated condition of city roads and highways.
Nagging traffic jam, dilapidated roads, and high bank interest rates, lack of tax incentives and high rate of membership of the so called MSS stand in the way of introducing new buses to ply the streets in the city and highways. Sources in the Dhaka Transport Coordinated Authority said Dhaka city requires 2.1 million trips per day to cope with increasing number of passengers to meet the demand. But the number of trips now is less than half the total requirement. However the practice of toll taking by different organisations and the law enforcing agencies as well as the high cost being member of MSS needs to be stopped for easy and unhindered plying of buses and other vehicles the city roads and highways to reduce passengers' sorrows, difficulties and harassments.     

The writer is a retired Professor of Economics, BCS General Education Cadre. E-mail: sarwarmdskhaled@gmail.com