Catch a rundown bus, earn special cash incentive

Photo: STAR

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has announced special incentive for its traffic personnel if they manage to seize old buses that are banned from the city streets.
“We have announced a special 1,000 taka incentive for any sergeant who will seize a bus 15 to 20 years old. Special drive is also going on to rid the city of unfit buses,” DMP Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Jashimuddin told Star City.
Run-down buses however are slipping through the tight net of the traffic personnel. A large number of the banned 20-year-old minibuses, most of them in a severely dilapidated condition, are still operating in the city.
These buses remain in hiding whenever there are special drives and they return to the streets right after each drive is over. Some of them ply after sundown taking advantage of the lax policing after iftar in Ramadan.
The old and unfit buses are mostly operating in Jurain, Postagola, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Demra, Shanir Akhra, Gulistan, Sadarghat, Keraniganj, Mirpur, Gabtoli, Rampura, Sadarghat and Kamalapur.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), 3,668 registered minibuses are currently plying on 40 routes in the capital. Another 1,097 minibuses travel to the city every day from the surrounding areas.
Sources at the BRTA said 50 percent of these vehicles are 15 to 20 years old. Besides, 1,725 of the total number of buses did not appear for fitness certificate for a long time.
There are also many vehicles operating without legal documents. However, there is no estimation of the illegal vehicles.
Abu Bakkar Md Shahjahan, executive director, Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) said, “These unfit vehicles are responsible for traffic congestion as they often break down in the middle of the street. Accidents involving these vehicles are regular. Commuting time becomes longer because of these problems.”
He said these unfit buses are one of the major sources of air pollution in the city as they emit a huge amount of black smoke. They are also causing visual pollution as most of these buses are in dreadful physical condition.
“It is important to phase out old buses as the number of buses and other vehicles is increasing every year going beyond the capacity of Dhaka streets,” he suggested.
Shahjahan said around 37,000 new vehicles were registered in the city in 2007 alone.
The communications ministry in 2002 decided that buses that have already exceeded 20 years of running period will be phased out from the city to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in Dhaka city.
Following the ban, DMP seized a good number of old vehicles. Many vehicles moved out of the city. However, within a few months most of the unfit vehicles started operating again in the city only by changing colours and overhauling some of the parts. Papers of these vehicles were updated with the help of a section of BRTA officials.
To date the decision could never be implemented.
The authorities last month again announced that from September 1 more than 15 years old buses cannot run in the city streets. It was also decided that these minibuses would be gradually replaced by 52-seat CNG-run buses.
Humayan Rashid Khalifa, director (operations), BRTA, said, “We are not giving route permit to any buses that exceeded 15 years. We have also prepared a list of buses that did not appear for fitness this year and sent it to the DMP traffic division.”
Bus owners, however, said 50 percent of them will go bankrupt if the decision to phase out old buses from the city is implemented.
Abul Hashem Dewan, general secretary, Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samiti, said before phasing out these old buses the authorities will have to think about what will happen to the commuters and bus owners.
“Around 50 percent buses would go off the city roads if this decision is implemented. Withdrawing these vehicles from the city all of a sudden will also create pressure on the transport system causing suffering to the commuters,” he said.
Dewan said, “All these buses have been purchased with bank financing. If we don't run the buses we can't pay the interest or repay the loan. Spending on spare parts, repair and gas, it takes about 10 years to finish the entire loan repayment process.”
“It will not be possible to bring an end to traffic congestion by only getting rid of old buses. There are many things to consider. The authorities should sit with the owners before taking decisions,” he said.