Dhaka to introduce 6 new bus routes on Sunday

The government has taken an initiative to bring discipline to public transport, reduce traffic congestion and improve passenger services in the capital by reorganising the existing bus network into 32 integrated routes from the current 98.

As part of the Bus Route Rationalisation (BRR) programme, operations on six of the proposed 32 routes will officially begin on Sunday. The remaining routes will be introduced in phases.

According to officials, the initiative aims to address longstanding problems in Dhaka's public transport system, including unhealthy competition among bus operators, indiscriminate passenger boarding, excessive buses on the same roads, disregard for designated stops and inadequate services in some areas.

Under the plan prepared by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), buses on each designated route are expected to operate under a single company. This is intended to reduce competition for passengers, improve operational discipline and ensure better services.

DTCA Executive Director Mohammad Mashiur Rahman said that the initiative was designed to address persistent disorder in the capital's public transport system.

"The 98 currently operational bus routes in Dhaka are planned to be reorganised into 32 integrated routes based on actual passenger demand, road capacity and traffic movement data," he said.

The six routes scheduled to launch on Sunday are: Shibbari Chowrasta in Gazipur to Dhakeshwari Temple in Azimpur via Abdullahpur; Mirpur Zoo to Chulkutia via Science Lab; Ghatar Char in Basila, Mohammadpur, to Demra Staff Quarter via Shahbagh and Matsya Bhaban; Basila in Mohammadpur to Chittagong Road-Kanchpur Bridge in Narayanganj via Science Lab and Jigatala; Ghatar Char in Mohammadpur to Dhawur Bridge in Abdullahpur via Mirpur-10; and Tongi College Gate to Dhakeshwari Temple in Azimpur via Abdullahpur.

The DTCA officials said the rationalisation initiative was first taken in 2011 through the then Dhaka Transport Coordination Board, but could not be implemented. In 2019, the DTCA began reviewing previous studies and preparing an updated plan.

An initial proposal included 42 routes, which was subsequently reduced to 32 following consultations with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, the two Dhaka city corporations, bus owners and workers' organisations.

The revised plan is based on extensive surveys conducted between 2024 and 2026. Those included boarding and alighting surveys covering more than 10,000 passengers, origin-destination surveys involving over 35,000 bus passengers and continuous 72-hour traffic counts at 72 important locations across the city.

Drone imagery, infrastructure assessments and engineering surveys were also conducted across about 400 kilometres of the existing bus network. The collected data were analysed using software-based public transport modelling.

DTCA estimates that the proposed 32 routes could serve around 3.7 to 3.8 million passenger trips daily, equivalent to approximately 8% of total person trips in the capital.

Project Director Dhruba Alam said the plan was based on extensive field surveys and data analysis rather than assumptions.

"Our objective is to ensure adequate buses where passenger demand is high while reducing unnecessary duplication of routes," he said.

Major transport hubs, including the airport, Mirpur-10, Kuril, Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Farmgate, Badda and Jatrabari, have been incorporated into the proposed network.

The plan includes operating between 70 and 250 non-air-conditioned buses on several major routes. Twenty air-conditioned buses have also been proposed for the 22.89-kilometre Tongi College Gate-Azimpur route.

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In addition, three circular bus services are planned around Farmgate-Palashi, Mohammadpur and Uttara, with 20 buses proposed for each route.

The plan also identifies several transport operators, including Dhaka Chaka, Ramzan Ali Enterprise, Four Star Bus Line and PNP City Service. Designated locations for bus parking have also been proposed.

The officials hope the phased implementation of the programme will establish a more organised, safer and passenger-friendly public transport system in Dhaka.