Bike passenger dies after double-decker runs him over

A motorbike passenger was killed and a biker was injured after a double-decker bus hit the bike on Airport Road, Dhaka yesterday.

Nazmul Hasan, 32, fell when the bus hit the bike from behind around 9:30am. The bus driver did not stop and ran over his head, said an eyewitness.

Mofizul Islam, 25, a rider of ride-hailing service Pathao, also fell from the bike and suffered injuries, the witness added.

Sharif Hossain, a sub-inspector of Airport Police Station, told The Daily Star that police with help of locals in the area arrested Azizul Huq, driver of the BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) bus, and seized the vehicle immediately after the accident.

Nazmul was going to Mohakahli from Mollartek of Dakkhinkhan using the Pathao ride service provider, he said.

SI Sharif further said the Pataho rider providers are supposed to carry helmets for their passengers but Mofizul did not carry any.

Asked about the absence of helmet, Sayeda Nabila Mahbub, marketing manager of Pathao, said riders often ask passengers to wear helmets but they refuse for different reasons including discomfort and hairstyle being ruined.

Asked about insurance policy, she said they are yet to start the benefits but are holding meetings with different companies to arrange the service for their riders and passengers.

Nazmul got married in September last year and was working for a telecom business for the last four years, said Jafor Ullah, maternal uncle of Nazmul.

Nazmul sometimes used the ridesharing service to go his office from home when he was in a hurry, he added.