Circular bus service to start in city March 26
FE Report | Thursday, 21 March 2019
The first circular bus service will be launched on March 26 in the capital's Dhanmondi area, covering about 20 kilometre road from Gabtoli to Azimpur with 34 points to pick and drop passengers.
The decision to launch the first of three planned circular bus services was taken in the meeting of a special committee, headed by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon at Nagar Bhaban on Wednesday.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the DSCC mayor said 20-25 buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will be plying under the service, touching all the points.
"At first, we are going to start the circular bus service on the occasion of the country's Independence Day. We can start the service with 20-25 buses."
One bus will be available in a stoppage in every five minutes, and it will leave the stoppage shortly after picking and dropping passengers. The buses will be operated nonstop. Fare of the service will be fixed in accordance with the BRTC chart, he also said.
Answering to a question regarding withdrawal of buses of various services from the city routes, the DSCC mayor said the presidents of road transport associations (bus owners and workers) assured him of withdrawing all age-old and deplorable buses within a short time.
He said the meeting also decided to provide a piece of land of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) to Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) to use it for training of drivers, as the country has huge shortage of drivers.
The mayor, however, opined that plying of buses under bus route franchise (BRF) of six companies will take some time for completing necessary procedures.
The initiative to introduce company-based buses under BRF has been delayed due to the national election in December. But the committee concerned will sit to finalise all technical issues in this regard, he hoped.
"With the passage of time, people will see positive changes in bringing discipline on the streets."
Sayeed Khokon, however, turned down the allegation that such meetings are held and decisions are taken soon after any untoward incident, and said schedule of the committee meeting was fixed seven days ago.
Incidentally, the meeting is held just after the tragic road accident that killed a university student in the capital on Tuesday.
The committee was formed following the directives of Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on September 9 for introduction of a new bus operating system in Dhaka city with a limited number of companies. It sat for the fourth time with the DSCC mayor in the chair.
Principal Coordinator of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Affairs of PMO Abul Kalam Azad, RAJUK Chairman Abdur Rahman, DTCA Executive Director Khandaker Rakibur Rahman, BRTC Chairman Farid Ahmed Bhuiya, and Joint Police Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman were present in the meeting, among others.