The city's bus service

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Only a few years ago, we had a good number of air-conditioned buses operative on different routes in the capital city. The operators of the buses, Premium, Nirapad and Roadways gave us a different taste of journey. Many middle class people who earlier used to commute on rickshaws or auto-rickshaws switched to bus services that were more comfortable and quicker journey from one point to another in the city.
Surprisingly, this service no more available on the city routes. Some of the buses of Nirapad and Premium are found on the streets. But they run on unusual routes. They are in a bad shape. Their airconditioning does not work anymore. The non-AC but luxury buses, introduced by the government's BRTC provided the city's commuters modern and comfortable service. But this service also proved to be short-lived with wear and tear making the buses out of service.
Watching the fate of the luxury bus service, it seems that the authorities concerned did not given due attention to sustaining or improving the modern transport system or its service. We now see that low quality imported buses are operating on almost all the city routes and the service they provide does not deserve mention.
Newspapers reports indicate that the government is planning to introduce mono-rail service in the city. Experts also suggested for the development of mass transportation services like subway. Construction of more flyovers and riverine routes also were recommended to reduce dependence on private cars or other smaller vehicles. The existing bus services can be improved by placing more standard buses on different routes with regulations requiring proper seating system, a common ticket for all the services. I would encourage many people to travel by bus instead of their private cars to avoid the nagging traffic jams.
Rashed Ahmed
Maghbazar, Dhaka