Due to the government's reluctance to introduce air-conditioned (AC) bus service for growing middle income group of people, the number of private car users is increasing in the capital taking up inadequate road space, experts have said.
Transport experts and sector analysts said in absence of standard bus, this group is spending more on purchasing cars, motorcycles and even bicycles to manage their own trips as well as trips of other family members.
But investors are unwilling to invest in public transport sector as they are not getting policy support. Besides, this kind of bus service needs not only large investment but also mounting operational costs.
An investor said at least Tk 20 million is needed for buying a standard bus.
Economic analysis shows that the country has the potential for modern city bus service due to its economic growth of average 6.0 per cent which led a large number of middle-class people with better purchasing power.
Even though the number of buses and routes is increasing in the city, the rate of private car sale is also growing. Car sales increased almost 50 per cent in last five years.
At the end of 1990s and early 2000s, three private operators introduced three AC bus services - Premium, Nirapod and Roadstar - on city's Motijheel and Uttara corridors, but all these services were suspended within few years.
Investors said they couldn't run business due to lack of government support in checking rickety buses on the same routes and control of traffic jam which swelled their operational costs.
At present, only state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) runs only two AC bus services with Abdullahpur and Narayanganj from Motijheel and Gulistan. Sources said this service having 50 AC Daewoo buses counts losses every month.
They said then the corporation has no choice to run the two AC bus services within the city as those buses were designed for city purposes.
"We cannot improve the AC bus service despite counting loss for lack of space for buses in the BRTC depot," said BRTC chairman Mizanur Rahman.
The BRTC has recently imported 40-seat Ashok Leyland AC buses from India, but those were manufactured for running in inter-districts.
Mohammad Abdul Hamid Sharif, president of Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA), said sales of private cars continue increasing for lack of modern bus service.
He said modern city bus service needs guidelines on importing what standard of vehicles as well as government's support to run on the streets.
"If an investor keeps Tk 20 million in bank, he can get back almost double. But he cannot get economic benefit within economic lifetime of the vehicles after investment," Mr Hamid, also the owner of Roadstar, told the FE over phone.
When asked assessing all these costs from tickets when many middle income people are now ready to spend money on this kind of service, he said inter-district bus service between Dhaka and Comilla gets Tk 250 for running two hours.
But it is not possible to get the same amount from city commuters for each trip when the same bus takes the same time for running in the city.
He alleged that the government was not supporting his company to run buses by permitting too many other private operators on their routes.
Matlub Ahmad, owner of Premium AC bus service, also alleged that due to lack of discipline in transport sector and political commitment, AC bus service had suffered. It will suffer if any new investment plan is not taken now.
He laid importance on overall political and economic decisions to ply AC buses in the city. "Anything on ad hoc basis will not work in the county," Matlub, now president of FBCCI, told the FE.
Though the government has now policy to import buses of different capacities, those purchase remains centring on buses manufactured in India, China and some other Southeast Asian countries.
The investors, however, alleged that these Asian buses don't suit to city's street condition. In most cases, these buses become unfit within a short time.
BRTC's Daewoo and Ashok Leyland buses also need frequent overhauling due to poor road condition and alleged pilferage by bus operators.
The experts said the cost of buying modern bus depends on a variety of features which include size, floor design, manufacturers, number of purchases and finally what kind of propulsion system the bus uses.
They also said the government should take up right policy and provide financial support to introduce city bus service and ease city's traffic congestion.
smunima@yahoo.com
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