The government would set up a ticket clearing house in the city aiming to introduce an automated fare system for the passengers of public transports, including metro rail and proposed dedicated bus services, officials said Thursday.
The state-owned Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) would set up the ticket clearing house by June 2017 in a bid to integrate all fares for the buses and trains running in and around the capital city.
DTCA would provide the passengers with cheap tickets which could be used in any mode of transports in the capital city, a senior official of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry said.
He said DTCA had taken up a Tk 403.2 million project for setting up the clearing house with financial support of the Japanese government.
The developed nations like the USA, the UK and European countries provide cheap tickets to the passengers of all modes of transports in their different towns which they can use without any hassle.
The government of Bangladesh (GoB) has been working to construct metro rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines for dedicated bus service in the Dhaka city.
It has already started setting up MRT line-6 between Uttara and Motijheel and BRT line from Gazipur to Shahjalal International Airport. In near future, other MRT and BRT lines would also be set up in the capital city.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry official said the DTCA's first initiative to build the ticket clearing house would ensure an integration of the fares for all modes of transports, resulting in hassle-free journey of passengers.
"The automated clearing house will issue cheap tickets for passengers allowing them to use the tickets for long. The passengers will only need to recharge his/her tickets after a certain period. The recharging system will also be automated," he said.
According to DTCA, they first would issue tickets for mass rapid transports like metro rail and BRT services. Gradually, they would also provide the same tickets for railway as well as other public and private transports.
"Our aim is to integrate the fare system in the capital city. We will sell cheap tickets to the passengers. They can travel by any modes of transports," he added.
Under the proposed project, DTCA would work for setting up of the clearing house, enhancement of technology, development of ICT fare system and maintenance of the entire system.
kabirhuamayan10@gmail.com
