More than one month into the suspension of public transport to stem the spread of Covid-19, the government might allow plying of the passenger-carrying vehicles on a limited scale.
A decision might come allowing public transport to ply the streets on a limited scale after May 5 deadline – of course ensuring physical distance among the passengers, said a number of government sources and sector insiders.
But everything depends on the Covid-19 situation in the next few days, they said, hinting that the ban on passenger travel on domestic air routes might be lifted first.
Earlier, on March 24, the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the wake of four deaths and at least 39 infections.
Authorities declared a ban on passenger travel via water, rail and on domestic air routes from March 24 while all public transport on roads were suspended from March 26. The government later extended the lockdown in phases, with the recent deadline ending on May 5.
After more than a month, there are now plans to give personal vehicles the go-ahead. Then buses-minibuses might be allowed to ply in Dhaka and district towns on a small scale, but there is no plan to open inter-district bus communication sooner, said the sources.
The Bangladesh Railway also has a plan to sell tickets leaving alternate seats vacant. After the government decision, it has a plan to sell tickets online instead of regular ticket counters at stations.
In the last phase, passenger travel via water routes might be allowed, added the government sources and the sector insiders.
However, Md Nazrul Islam, secretary of Road Transport and Highway Division, said no decision has been taken if public transport will be allowed to ply.
It can be said after May 5 deadline, he said, adding that the higher government authorities would take the decision depending on the pandemic situation.
But transportation experts expressed concerns about the health risk involved in plying of public transport. They said the decision has to be taken wisely, or else it will worsen the ongoing situation.
Meanwhile, transport workers said they were badly in need of financial support from public-private entities to overcome this situation.
As the transport workers have been left without income since the lockdown enforced around a month back, they might resort to earning quick bucks not caring a fig for the rules on how to maintain physical distance, warned the experts.
Therefore, the government has to train the transport workers and provide subsidies to them before taking any such decision of opening public transport, even on a limited scale, they added.
Moreover, there is a shortage of government manpower to monitor if public transports are operating leaving alternate seats vacant, said the experts, adding that unmonitored public transport might help spread the coronavirus further.
Dr Md. Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said it has to be taken into consideration first if the government has the ability to monitor road-water-rail routes.
In transport sector, there are a lot of owners, and this sector is an unorganised one, he said. Public buses are usually run with passengers crammed into those buses.
Therefore, if the decision is not made taking into account all these issues, the decision will backfire, warned Dr Shamsul.
If the government provides the transport workers with subsidies, they might care about physical distance not resorting to unhealthy practice of taking in more passengers, he observed.
Without ensuring this, the mere enforcement of law will not bring any sustainable result, he added.
Khandaker Enayet Ullah, general secretary of the Road Transport Owners' Association, it is difficult to maintain physical distance in public transport.
He said he was not quite sure when the public transport would be allowed on the streets.
Though the government will take the final decision, he assumed that the decision might come when things start to return to normalcy.
Mozammel Haque, secretary general of the Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association, said it is difficult to keep public transport shut for long.
It is also true that the rate of infection might increase in May.
Therefore, utmost importance should be given to ensure incentives for transport workers so they don’t take in more passengers for earning extra, he added.
Md Shamsuzzaman, director general of the Bangladesh Railway, said goods and container transport through the railway has been continuing amid the transport shutdown.
Now it has decided to launch luggage van to transport vegetables from different parts of the country.
If any decision comes from the government regarding carrying passengers, they are ready to run the service, he added.
Asked if the water routes will be opened if other modes of public transport operate, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said in the pandemic time, measures are being taken based on the decision of health ministry.
The decision to allow plying of passenger-carrying water vessels depends on their opinion, he added.
