Govt to launch GPS in public transport to ensure discipline

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Rabiul Alam on Sunday said this year's Eid journey was comparatively comfortable with a lower accident death toll than in previous years, even as the 11-day holiday period saw 170 fatalities in road, river and rail accidents.
Speaking at a press conference after a post-Eid review meeting at the Road Transport and Highways Division, he also announced a series of measures to ensure safer journeys during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
The minister said the meeting decided to introduce GPS tracking in all public and commercial vehicles to improve oversight, enhance discipline in bus services, and curb irregularities by transport operators.
GPS systems will help track overspeeding, route violations, unfit vehicles and other irregularities, enabling authorities to take action more effectively, he said.
Law enforcement agencies, including Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Highway Police, will work with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to monitor vehicle movements, he added.
Other decisions taken in the meeting included banning makeshift markets on highways, tightening control over trucks and freight vehicles during Eid holidays, increasing surveillance in high-risk areas such as Gazipur-Chandra and Shafipur, and ensuring that passengers disembark from buses before boarding ferries.
The minister said this year's Eid journey was relatively smooth, and fatalities were lower compared to previous years during the 11 days before and after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Of the 170 accident deaths, 47 occurred on highways, 28 on river routes and 17 in railway accidents, with the remainder reported on roads under Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) jurisdiction.
"Nearly 15 million people left Dhaka in a short period with no stagnation, and traffic remained normal on most highways, though some pressure was experienced in specific spots."
The minister acknowledged complaints of passengers being charged excessive fares, attributing part of the problem to a lack of awareness among travellers.
The meeting was attended by State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Habibur Rashid, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam, lawmaker Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, senior officials and representatives from transport agencies and workers' associations.

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