Initiative to bring Dhaka buses under Nagar Paribahan revived – but what’re the challenges?

Infographic: TBS

The Bus Route Rationalisation committee has revived its initiative to bring all buses operating in the capital under Dhaka Nagar Paribahan.

After a meeting yesterday, the committee president and Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Nazrul Islam said, "If any company wishes to operate buses on any route in Dhaka, it will have to do so under Dhaka Nagar Paribahan."

This mandate applies to all bus companies operating within the city, with the goal of creating a single platform.

Transport experts and bus owners see the revival of the initiative as a sustainable solution to Dhaka's longstanding transportation challenges, aiming to bring discipline to the capital's notorious mass transport system.

Dhaka Nagar Paribahan was first taken up by former Dhaka North mayor Annisul Huq in 2016. 

Despite launching buses on three routes in Dhaka on a pilot basis, the initiative struggled and ultimately failed to gain momentum over the following years.

Transport experts say the system's failure was due to its inability to progress beyond the pilot phase. This latest push seeks to remedy past setbacks and bring all of Dhaka's buses under a standardised, route-based model.

Yesterday the Bus Route Rationalisation Committee arranged its 29th meeting.

Nazrul Islam highlighted the plan to operate buses on 42 routes across the city, with companies receiving approval based on specific qualifications. A committee of 12 members will draft the business model and outline the operating framework. "We will sit again on 11 December to advance the initiative."

Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) Executive Director Neelima Akhter said "We have instructed all parties wishing to operate public transport in the capital to apply to join Nagar Paribahan. As of yesterday, 80 bus companies have applied, with the deadline for submissions set for 30 November."

According to DTCA data, Dhaka has around 7,000 buses but requires at least 10,000, highlighting both a bus shortage and a scarcity of skilled drivers in the city.

Infographic: TBS

While talking to TBS, several members of the committee said it will take two years to fully implement Dhaka's Nagar Paribahan system, including tasks like selecting bus companies, ensuring bus fitness, building terminals, and recruiting staff. However, buses will be integrated into the system and begin operating on a route-based model within six months, with remaining tasks phased in.

According to the Road Safety Foundation, Dhaka recorded 271 accidents between January and October, resulting in 194 deaths and 304 injuries.

Why Nagar Paribahan could not be functional in three years

On a trial basis, Dhaka Nagar Paribahan began its journey on 26 December 2021, operating from Ghatarchar to Kanchpur in the capital with 50 green-colored buses. Over time, the service expanded to over 100 buses across three routes, but operational challenges, including competition from other buses. 

Despite some early optimism, the system struggled to expand and eventually failed to meet expectations. Transport experts attribute the failure to the project's inability to move beyond the trial phase.

S M Saleh Uddin, a transport expert and member of the Bus Route Rationalisation Committee, told The Business Standard, "The pilot phase cannot continue for years. During this trial period, other buses continued operating on the same routes alongside the city transport buses, leading to operational challenges and contributing to the system's failure. However, with the current plan now in motion, Dhaka's buses will soon come under improved regulation and oversight, promising a more efficient transport system for the city.

He emphasised the importance of consolidating the bus network to avoid operational conflicts. "No other buses except Dhaka Nagar Paribahan buses will be allowed to operate on the same route. Once city transport is integrated, it will be easier to integrate buses from neighboring districts and long-distance buses with it."

The expert added, "Buses operating in Dhaka that have a minimum of five years of service life can be repaired and added to the Nagar Paribahan fleet. New buses are also part of the plan, with the government expecting to purchase 4,000 to 4,500 new vehicles for the system."

The project has faced continued challenges since its inception. The two city corporations of Dhaka have struggled with a lack of enthusiasm from bus owners, many of whom were hesitant to join the initiative. 

The plan was initially proposed to merge the city's 291 routes into just 42, grouping them into six clusters with different colours for each route. However, the initiative lost momentum with mayor Annisul's death in 2017.

While the plan envisioned the gradual integration of private bus operators into the Nagar Paribahan network, their lukewarm response and lackluster performance have dampened the initiative's success.

The issue resurfaced in 2018, following a road safety movement by students, but again stalled after a 10-member committee, including transport owners, workers, and government officials, failed to make any significant progress.

The concept of bus route rationalisation gained traction once again under the leadership of Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, who took charge in 2021 and introduced additional routes under Nagar Paribahan. 

Despite deploying 30 wide-bodied buses from the state-owned BRTC and expecting another 70 buses from private operators, only six private companies joined the effort, contributing only a handful of buses.

Currently, the plan is big, running city buses under a joint venture with Dhaka Nagar Paribahan gradually on all 42 routes engaging other companies.

MA Baten, a member of the 12-member committee working on the plan, expressed concerns about the implementation process. "The committee will visit the ground and decide how to accommodate thousands of buses from hundreds of companies, who now operate on over 350 routes in the city, under the 42 routes of Bus Route Rationalisation," Baten, also president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owner Association, told The Business Standard.

He stressed that the change would not happen overnight and that a coordinated approach would be needed to avoid worsening the prevailing indiscipline in the city's transport sector. "Only the buses that have reached the end of their economic life will be removed gradually, and we will work to ensure all fit buses are accommodated," he said.

Discussion also took place that buses in the route will be paid as per the kilometre it runs, he added.  

MA Baten also pointed to the ongoing shortage of drivers and called for special training programs to address this issue. "We demand the introduction of special training for drivers and the provision of licenses without delay," he said. 

He also suggested offering soft loans to bus owners who purchase new vehicles for the reformed transport system.

As Dhaka continues to grapple with its public transport woes, experts hope that with improved regulation and a more coordinated approach, the city's bus system can eventually be reformed for the better.