Uttara- Farmgate: BRTC buses to start using expressway today

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will begin operating buses on the Uttara-Farmgate route via the Dhaka Elevated Expressway today.

Initially, eight shuttle buses will ply on a trial basis from 11:00am.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, BRTC Chairman Tazul Islam said, "From tomorrow [today], eight buses will start plying on the expressway at 11:00am. The number of buses will be increased based on passenger demand."

"Buses will run from 7:30am daily and continue to operate as long as there is passenger demand. These buses will leave Farmgate's Khejur Bagan and take the expressway to Uttara's Jasimuddin Road before returning to the Khejur Bagan area," he explained.

The BRTC service has been launched for the convenience of passengers so that they can travel quickly on Dhaka's first Elevated Expressway. The buses will only ply on the expressway, said BRTC officials.

Passengers won't have to pay extra to use the expressway, just the usual fare, BRTC sources said.

The BRTC chairman also told journalists that no toll will be added to the fare for the time being. "Later, when the toll is added, the government will set a fare, and that is the fare we will charge."

The toll for buses on the expressway is Tk 160.

The usual bus 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 is Tk 2.45. As there is e-ticketing, there is no scope for charging extra fare, said BRTC sources.

On September 2, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Dhaka Elevated Expressway from Kawla in the airport area to Farmgate.