The much-anticipated launching of the company-based bus operations under the green cluster in the capital Dhaka under the bus route rationalisation project of the government today is facing uncertainties about becoming fully operational.
A total of 35 air-conditioned buses are likely to run on only one route, Hemayetpur-Gabtoli-Kalyanpur-Shymoli-Kolabagan-Science Lab-Shahbagh-Press Club-Gulistan-Hanif Flyover-Sign Board-Chashara, out of total eight routes under the cluster from today.
Fare rate for the bus services has not been fixed and no contract was signed with the Borak Paribahn which will run the services on the route till filing this report at 8:00pm on Monday.
The leaders of Dhaka Road Transport Owners鈥� Association were demanding higher rates of bus fares than the existing rates.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, Borak Paribahan and the owners鈥� association did not reach a consensus from where the buses would start running.
Against these backdrops, the road transport and bridges ministry adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan is scheduled to inaugurate the bus services today in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area in the morning.
Earlier two similar steps on Ghatar Char-Kanchpur and Ghatar Char-Demra routes under the same project ended unsuccessfully as other private companies did not stop running buses on the designated routes where the government launched company-based buses.
This time, on February 6, the owner鈥檚 association leaders launched pink bus services under some companies on Abdullahpur route in Uttara area with counter- and e-ticketing system.
Many passengers alleged that they did not get enough buses on this route.
The plan to run buses under a few companies was initiated back in 1997 to bring order on roads and ease traffic congestion.
The DTCA is now planning 42 routes for the proposed 22 bus companies under nine clusters.
The adviser on December 2024 said that from February 25 the company-bus operation on all routes under the green cluster under the Nagar Paribahan would start running in the capital on a pilot basis.
Under green cluster there are eight routes.
A senior DTCA official seeking anonymity said that they needed at least one more month to fully launch the services on all routes but due to directive from the ministry they were inaugurating it on only one route.
DTCA executive director Neelima Akhter told 抖阴精品 at around 8:00pm that the minimum fare at Tk 20 had been proposed for the services while the per kilometre fare could be Tk 5.5 for these AC buses.
She also said that they would sign a contract with Borak Paribahan after observing how they could operate the service.聽
The owner鈥檚 association secretary general Saiful Islam told 抖阴精品 that they wanted Tk 6 per kilometre fare for the services as there are 15 per cent VAT on AC bus fare.
DTCA officials, meanwhile, said that the buses under the green cluster would start from Gabtali point while the association leaders said that it would run from Hemayetpur point.
