Govt to press ahead with loss-making project

The much-talked-about water bus service around the city has now fallen flat as both its public and private operators do not find it financially viable.

The operators said they never got the expected number of passengers enjoying the service over the years amid continued operating losses.

People familiar with the service said faulty designs of the water buses and their inadequate number, lack of coordination among ministries concerned and high transport fare were the main reasons behind the government's failure to popularise the service.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has already suffered losses to the tune of Tk 16 million since introduction of the service in 2010 with the authorities now counting around Tk 40,000 in losses a day on account of fuel costs alone, officials say.

According to them, the corporation halted operation of the water buses on five occasions in just three and a half years of its service due to the poor response from the passengers but resumed it later on political ground.

"It is possible to popularise the water bus service but the lack of co-ordination among the ministries concerned and some wrong decisions taken by the BIWTC officials have thrown the service into disarray," Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan told the FE.   

"We instructed BIWTC officials to make small but speedy water buses but they mistakenly designed bigger ones which are not found to be viable for the route," he added.

However, a master of a water bus preferring anonymity said it takes one and a half hours to go to Sadarghat from Gabtoli by a water bus which is a much longer time than that a public bus takes. So, the people do not want to travel on the waterway.

"Water buses run slower than motorised small boats due to their faulty designs which irritates people. Besides, the inadequate number of water buses and the inconvenience the passengers face while boarding a water bus from a pontoon also keep passengers away from availing the service," he added.

"Moreover, even if we get cent per cent passengers, then also the service would count losses because of its high fuel consumption," the master said.

However, on a visit to the service area, this correspondent found that on most of the trips, the water buses were not getting even one passenger. In a few cases a water bus earned around Tk 100 or less from a trip.

Meanwhile, even after incurring such a significant amount of losses, the government is set to invest a substantial amount of money again for the service only to run the loss-making project as a 'charity' venture under its public service obligation (PSO).

The corporation was adding six more new water-buses to its fleet for the route at a total cost of about Tk 35 million, the officials said. Some six water buses are now in operation on the route.

The officials also said the government was mulling increasing the number of water buses to fifty within the shortest possible time.

"We are not worried about whatever losses the service is incurring. We have decided to strengthen the service only to reduce traffic congestion of the city by popularising the water way," the shipping minister said.

"We do not expect profit from all of our services. We are considering the losses as our public service obligation (PSO). Once the service is popularised, the losses would be minimised," he added.

Mr Khan said the ministry increased its income from ferry service and spending a part of that on the water bus service considering its probable positive impact on the city's traffic congestion.

"We have a plan to increase the number of water buses to fifty. If done, then it will be possible to operate frequent trips and thus it will help ease traffic congestions on the city roads.

The shipping minister, however, said the ministry was in talks with other ministries to do the needful to make the water bus service viable.