Dhaka Nagar Paribahan (DNP) has turned into unpleasant commuting service due to fewer regular buses, stopping of buses outside designated places and taking passengers without tickets.
Even two years after launching services, Bus Route Rationalisation (BRR) plan has been stuck in its pilot stage. Only three routes have been launched in Dhaka South City Corporation area, but no work has been done in Dhaka North City Corporation area.
It has been learnt that only 40-50 BRTC buses were operating on the Chittagong route from Ghatarchar via Jigatala and the Kadamtali route via Kalabagan.
However, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has scrapped its contract with Trans Silva due to non-compliance on route 21 and passengers have expressed dissatisfaction with the services on two other routes.
A passenger said, "Now it runs like local bus, stopping everywhere. The conductor asks passengers to board the bus without ticket. Sometimes drivers collect fare as all buses do not have conductors."
Another passenger waiting at one of the DNP stops said, “The services are not up to the mark. I have been waiting for a bus for 20 minutes. Sometimes other buses create barriers to DNP and there is competition among them.”
Some linemen of DNP said they hardly get passengers as the buses of other companies take all the passengers. “We wait until the bus is full but local bus leaves when it gets few passengers,” one of the linemen said.
The route from Ghatarchar to Demra staff quarter via Farmgate was not operational for the last three months which was launched on October 13, 2022 under Hanif Enterprise, a private bus service. The authority said that they have plans to resume services.
Md Ohidujjaman, general manager of Hanif Enterprise said, “Ghatarchar-Demra staff quarter is a long route, passengers are not available. So, we are not operating bus on the route for sometimes after talking to the authorities.”
Sources said Hanif Paribahan refrained from operating their buses although they kept at least 50 new buses ready for operation as per the contract.
An official, preferring anonymity, said that 30 buses, including 10-15 of Hanif Paribahan, were operating on the three routes. He also alleged that a syndicate has also been formed as the company shows a fewer number of passengers at Farmgate-like busy stations.
Shabiha Pervin, executive director at DTCA said, “We floated the tender but did not get response. In addition to law enforcement agencies to carry out their duty properly, we all have to work from our respective position as well.”
“I am optimistic about the plan and want to work on it in new ways. This problem needs to be resolved by discussing the issue with transport owners association, bus owners association, labour unions, and other stakeholders.”
DNP was first launched from Ghatarchar to Katchpur also known as route 21 via Satmasjid Road and Shahbagh on a pilot basis on December 26, 2021.
Later, two more routes--Ghatarchar to Demra staff quarter and Ghatarchar to Kadamtoli under routes 22 and 26 were launched on October 13, 2022.
The target was to rationalise the city routes to only 42 from over 400 by dividing those under nine clusters which are supposed to be operated by the buses of 22 private companies. These companies are supposed to be formed by merging the existing ones.
The government-assigned committee on BRR decided to introduce the company system bus service in the green cluster. All buses other than Nagar Paribahan were announced illegal and other buses on that route were asked to lease their buses to Nagar Paribahan.
Nagar Paribahan has specific bus stops and ticketing system. However, it has been seen that other companies are operating their buses easily on the route which resisted Nagar Paribahan’s plan.
To manage services, the committee decided to operate the buses jointly by an interested and qualified private operator and BRTC.
Officials blamed the private company for being unable to increase the number of buses as per the contract. In contrast, a private operator alleged that the committee was not doing enough to withdraw hundreds of illegal buses from the same route as per the contract.
It is also learnt that the committee is less interested in improving the DNP as the committee’s meeting has not been held since May 9 last though it is supposed to sit every month.
