Remove seats from city buses

MANY of the buses running on the city routes in Dhaka are all-seated coaches. Such type of buses provide more seating space than standing space with narrow aisle space, and generally have only one door and high floor.

Because of the narrow aisle space and insufficient standing area due to having only one door, it is common to see passengers of many of these buses hanging near the door to reduce hassle while getting off the bus. Due to the cramping and the high floor of these buses, accidents happen frequently when passengers get on or off them. All-seated coaches are generally meant for long distance journeys because comfortable seats are needed, but much aisle space or standing area. However, the criteria for buses to run on city routes are different.

Buses serving city routes do not usually travel for long distances, but they need to accommodate as many passengers as possible. Facilities need to be provided to ensure that standing passengers are able to travel safely. It is also necessary to ensure that passengers are able to move quickly in the bus and get on and get off safely. All these criteria are met by transit buses.

This is why transit buses serve city routes in many countries. They offer spacious aisles and sufficient standing area but not many seats, which increases the capacity of the bus. The spacious aisle makes it possible for two or more passengers to stand alongside comfortably and also to move around conveniently in the bus. These buses are equipped with poles and overhead straps so that the standing passengers can hold on to them while the bus is moving, ensuring a safe journey. These buses have at least two doors so that passengers are able to conveniently get on and off. The two doors also ensure that all the standing passengers are evenly distributed on the bus utilising all the standing area of the bus, rather than being cramped near the door.

Many of the buses serving the city routes in Dhaka are not fit and safe to serve city routes. They should be phased out in the long run and the government may consider allowing only transit buses to serve city routes in the future. In the short term, some rows of seats, at least near the door, should be removed from the all-seated coaches so that standing passengers do not have to gather near the door, and they can get on and off the bus safely and conveniently. This will increase the capacity of the buses and also make them much safer for the passengers.

The writer is Transportation Engineer working in Thailand.