After completing all necessary arrangements to use smart-cards in multi mass transport systems - including metro-rail - four years ago, the metro-rail company has prepared single-use cards - only for its passengers.
As the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) plans to open the first half of its Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line-6 in the city in December, nearly one million cards for the MRT users have been readied, sources said.
However, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) readied the initial smart cards - known as the Rapid Pass - in 2018, which have been used in some public transports in a limited scale by setting up a clearing house.
Sources said a special purpose company is also being set up to operate the clearing house and issue the smart cards - known as integrated card (IC) - for keeping data of card use and sharing among of all modes of transports.
Without popularising the Rapid Pass, using another card is a misuse of the government fund, they added.
Before the Rapid Pass, the DTCA also launched another IC card - named SPass - for the BRTC buses, which also could not be used later on.
The DMTCL officials said special MRT cards have been prepared for branding the first-ever mass transit system in the city.
According to the reliable sources of these two agencies, the DMTCL is not getting confidence on the DTCA to manage the cards. As issuance of similar cards under the MRT-6 project contract was there, the DMTCL received over 900,000 MRT cards under contract package-7.
But it would take time to get the DMTCL's due share of earning from the common cards in case of using the DTCA's cards for the MRT, they added.
The government has set up the DMTCL as cent per cent state-owned company to plan, implement, operate and manage the MRTs in the city through business models.
The FE, however, found the DTCA's non-functional role in issuance of the cards. The official - responsible for the clearing house project - also expressed his total ignorance regarding functionality of the clearing house and readying cards under the DTCA.
The DTCA's Rapid Pass was received as a grant under the project - 'Establishment of clearing house for integrating transport tickets' - funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which concluded in 2019. The second phase of the clearing house project is now under preparation.
Though some Rapid Pass cards are being used in circular buses, the major portion of the 60,000 cards remained unsold.
An official of the MRT-6 said the DMTCL cannot wait until the DTCA's capacity building, and it would not be responsible for selling the cards. Also the agency has to ensure its earning and cannot wait to transfer the share of income from the clearing house account.
"The DMTCL has some responsibilities regarding the cards, which can be ensured by the special MRT cards. The agency wants to be self-reliant," he told the FE.
The FE tried to get comments from the DMTCL managing director, but he did not talk at his office and through cell-phone.
smunima@yahoo.com