In a bid to bring discipline to the capital’s public transport, the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry’s Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan has instructed stakeholders to activate the Bus Route Rationalisation project, known as Dhaka Nagar Paribahan.
The project initially sought to streamline 388 existing bus routes into 42, with separate companies operating each to eliminate competition-driven reckless driving.
However, the plan has hit a significant roadblock, as the Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association remains steadfast in its opposition.
The association has unequivocally rejected the idea of operating under a designated company per route.
Instead, they have openly defied the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), systematically obstructing its initiatives.
Investigations reveal that many transport operators who applied to join Dhaka Nagar Paribahan have fleets with buses beyond their economic lifespan.
The ministry has mandated the removal of unfit buses from the capital’s roads by May, yet bus owners remain defiant.
Launched on 26 December 2021, the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan project initially deployed 30 buses from the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and 20 from the private operator Trans Silva.
The fleet operated along a designated route from Ghatarchar (Keraniganj) to Kachpur (Narayanganj) via Mohammadpur, Jigatola, Shahbagh, and Motijheel.
However, within a year, Trans Silva withdrew its fleet, and BRTC, citing financial losses, reduced its operations before eventually ceasing them altogether.
On-the-ground reports confirm that currently, no BRTC buses operate on the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan route.
In response to the worsening situation, Nazrul Islam, then administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation and chairman of the Bus Route Rationalisation Committee, convened a meeting with transport stakeholders on 11 November last year.
He asserted that buses on these rationalised routes must operate under the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan umbrella.
DTCA took steps to solicit applications for bus operation on 42 designated routes from interested parties.
By 30 November last year, over 200 transport companies had applied to operate nearly 3,000 buses under the scheme.
Efforts are now underway to resume operations on the Green Cluster (Sabuj Guchho) route from 25 February.
However, a fresh crisis emerged on 21 January, when Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali chaired a meeting of the Dhaka Metro Passenger and Freight Transport Committee (RTC).
During the meeting, Saiful Alam, general secretary of the Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association, bluntly stated,
"We will not provide any buses for Dhaka Nagar Paribahan. If DTCA wants this service, they should procure and operate 2,000 buses themselves. No one can force us to operate under a single company."
He further questioned the viability of the project, saying, "What do I gain by putting my buses on these routes? I receive no facilities, no subsidies. DTCA merely spends government funds on consultancy while contributing nothing to the transport sector."
Later, Kazi Zubair Masud, Office Secretary of the association, reaffirmed their stance, asserting that they would operate buses independently with the cooperation of the DMP commissioner.
Under the rationalisation scheme, transport operators are expected to provide modern, roadworthy buses. However, DMP data exposes alarming levels of permit and fitness violations.
Dhaka currently has 4,546 active buses on 110 approved routes, of which 1,053 lack fitness certification.
Despite these violations, bus owners continue to seek new permits.
Experts argue that public transport in Dhaka cannot be streamlined without a state-run system.
Kazi Md Saifun Nawaz, assistant professor at BUET’s Accident Research Institute (ARI), notes that the lack of coordination between the RTC routes and Dhaka Nagar Paribahan has caused a crisis.
"Two separate systems cannot operate on the same roads. If proper integration does not happen, transport chaos will persist," he warns.
Saidur Rahman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation, asserts that relying on private bus owners will not solve Dhaka’s transport woes.
"Dilapidated buses operated by private owners cannot sustain a public transport system. The government must procure at least 4,000 modern buses to take control of urban transport."
He further argues that introducing state-operated, well-equipped buses would reduce the number of private vehicles, alleviate congestion, increase service frequency, and generate higher revenue.
"This initiative must be launched by the current government and sustained by future administrations. In developed nations, capitals do not rely on privately owned public transport. If we fail to implement this, no real progress will be made."
