BRTC bus service launched on elevated expressway

Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) on Monday launched its bus service on the Uttara-Farmgate route via Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

Road Transport and Highways Division secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri inaugurated the bus service at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital. Chairman of BRTC Md Tajul Islam was also present.

After the inauguration, the first bus left Farmgate's Khejur Bagan Golchattar for Uttara Jasimuddin Road at 11:25am. It reached Airport Road around 12:05pm.

Initially, a total of eight double decker buses will carry passengers and commuters can board the buses from both ends of the expressway. The buses will run all day from 7am and will continue as long as passengers are available.

The fare from Khejur Bagan to the Airport is Tk 35 for 15km and the fare for 17km to Jasimuddin has been set at Tk 40. The per-km fare comes to Tk 2.45. As there is e-ticketing, there is no scope for charging extra fare. However, the toll for buses on the expressway has been set at Tk 160, BRTC sources said.

Talking to reporters, Amin Ullah said there was public demand for bus service on the expressway. “The service has been initiated on trial basis responding to public demands. More buses will be added if the number of users increases. The fare from Farmgate to Airport will be same as before,” he added.

BRTC Chairman Md Tajul Islam recently told reporters that the eight buses will be supplied from three depots and will be operated from a depot. These buses will take passengers from Jasimuddin Road, Airport Railway Station and Kawla. It will then take the expressway to go to Farmgate non-stop.    

After dropping the passengers at Farmgate, the bus will pick the airport-bound passengers at Bangabandhu Roundabout in Khejurbagan area of ​​Sangsad Bhaban adjacent to Manik Mia Avenue. Therefore, Uttara-bound passengers can also board from Khejur Bagan Roundabout, Khamarbari or Bijoy Sarani.

At present, the toll for the expressway is not added to the fare. “Later, we will operate the buses at the fare which will be fixed by adding the toll. As we are a government agency, the objective is to serve the people. BRTC will gain somewhere, lose somewhere,” he said.

On September 2, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Airport-Farmgate segment of Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

About 80,000 vehicles will be able to use the expressway every day once it is completed, project officials said.

When fully completed, the elevated expressway will run from the capital’s Kawla to Kutubkhali area of Dhaka-Chattogram highway via Kuril-Banani-Mohakhali-Tejgaon-Moghbazar-Kamalapur-Sayedabad-Jatrabari, according to Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.