Govt pushes for single-company bus service on 6 Dhaka routes

The government has taken an initiative to operate buses under a single company on six routes and to introduce the system on at least two routes by 25 October. The decision was taken at a meeting held at the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority office in Tejgaon on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, the DTCA executive director Mohammad Mashiur Rahman said that the prime minister had directed the launch of a single-company bus service on at least two routes, so they were making every effort to do so by 25 October. Ruling party lawmaker Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed and Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association General Secretary Saiful Islam spoke on the occasion, among others.
According to the plan, the companies operating buses on each route will be merged into a single company, and some routes will be revised. The bus owners said that they have reservations regarding share distribution, as owners of different numbers of buses will get the same number of directorships in the newly formed company.
The planned routes for single-company bus services are Shibbari-Sadarghat, where Bikash and VIP Paribhana run buses; Gabtoli to Demra via Gulshan-1, run by Alif, Boishakhi and Roich Paribahan; Duaripara to Sadarghat via Azimpur, run by Diahsari, Tanjil, Metro Link and Trans Silva Paribhaan. 
The other routes are Ghatarchar-Demra via Rampura and Ghatarchar-Kanchpur via Kakrail, served by Ramjan Ali Enterprise, Midline Paribahan, Malancha Paribahan and Rajanigandha Paribahan, and Mirpur-12 to Maowa via Babu Bazar, run by Swadhin Paribahan, Bihongo, Mirpur Super Link and Sikhor Paribahan.
Besides, the government wants to operate single-company circular bus services on three new routes. A company, Uttara Chaka, has expressed interest in operating buses on the Kadma Chattar-Panchati route via Metro Central Station, while Dhaka Chaka has expressed interest in operating buses on two routes: Farmgate-Palashi via Panthapath and Mohammadpur Bus Stand-Azimpur via Kalabagan.
Talking to the Daily Sun, Office Secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association Kazi Jubaer Masud said, “In all routes, multiple operators operate different numbers of buses. So, an owner of 60 buses will not agree to be a partner of an owner of 20 buses in the same position in the company. This needs to be resolved.”
However, DTCA transport planner Dhrubo Alam said that the issue would be resolved at the meeting on 17 October.