Keeping BRTC afloat and fully alive

Watching the worn-out BRTC buses plying Dhaka streets makes one feel sad and morose, to say the least. The spectacle should not have come to this pass. Ever since the launch of the service in the then East Pakistan in 1961, the state-owned entity (formerly EPRTC) has literally dominated the bus transport sector in the land.
Even after the independence of Bangladesh, it continued to rule the roost in the new nation's bus services. Despite the outstanding growth of private sector in the arena in the eighties, the state-owned passenger buses did not lose their popular appeal. Due to its infrastructural strength, large fleet size and low fares, the buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) still pull passengers in droves. In a city offering messy private-sector bus service, lots of commuters go for the state transports as a better option. But given its fast-deteriorating infrastructural health, the future prospects for BRTC appear to be gloomy.
Grappling with the massive task of running a countrywide network of routes, the corporation seems to be already stuck in a quagmire. Coming to Dhaka, things appear to have gone awfully wrong with the BRTC buses and their service in the city lately. The vehicles in general are rundown, and passengers feel nauseated while on board due to the shabby interior. Reckless driving of the buses scares many to death. After a considerably long period of its service under private operators, the corporation had come under full government control again in 2013. Unfortunately, even after the change in service management, state buses in the capital kept wearing the bedraggled look. Brand new imported buses began showing signs of a time-battered, rugged look in just three years of operation. Despite their struggle to stay operative, the public transports appeared to be over ten years old in that short period. A good number of the buses found their place in the repair yards of the city's three BRTC depots. Very few were seen on the city roads again even after a reasonable gap. With virtually no touch of repair or renovation, many buses remained dumped, left to rot away.
People well-acquainted with BRTC affairs blame a section of corrupt staff for the poor maintenance of its buses. Various types of financial irregularities have allegedly been plaguing the state-run entity, especially its department in charge of maintenance. Mindless negligence in the upkeep of the operative buses, getting funds approved for repair works, and then misappropriating the money granted for the job have become open secrets here. Some point the finger at the very plan to give the state-run buses on lease to private operators. Different types of graft started gnawing at the corporation after this arrangement was put in place.
In terms of operational strength in bus service in the country, BRTC comes much ahead of the private sector companies. The corporation's buses ply on 1,158 routes across the country including the large cities. Apart from inter-district routes connecting the major divisional and district headquarters, it operates buses on three sub-regional routes linking India's Kolkata, Agartala and Guwahati. The routes are run by a private Bangladesh bus company on its behalf. BRTC is the only transport entity in the country that operates three types of buses: single-decker, double-decker and articulated buses. The corporation operates 88 AC buses on the inter-district routes. BRTC buses are imported from India, China, South Korea and Sweden.
While basking in this enviable position, the reports of incurring continued losses cannot but sadden one. The post-independent government of the country headed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had lofty dreams of turning BRTC into a prestige organisation. But the later-day wrong policies, mismanagement, graft and other ills thwarted the goal.
In spite of its unabated streak of loss-making, lots of people still pin hopes on BRTC. Lately, BRTC has been placed under a wide focus of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. This is good news. But focuses like this in the past began dimming after the rush of enthusiasm started to ebb. Steps ought to be in place to prevent the recurrence of this old ritual.
shihabskr@ymail.com