Trial run of special bus service for metro passengers starts today

• 15 buses – 10 from Agargaon Station and 5 from Uttara North Station – will be used for the trial run
• The trial will continue until inauguration of the metro service 
• This shuttle service of BRTC will be fully operational from the day of metrorail launch
• 50 double-decker buses will provide shuttle service for the metrorail passengers

State-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will start today the trial run of a special shuttle bus service for the Metrorail passengers who will get down at Agargaon and Uttara North (Diabari) Metrorail stations. 

Fifteen buses – 10 from Agargaon Station and 5 from Uttara North Station – will be used for the trial run which will continue until inauguration of the metro service. 

"Through the trial, we will see if there is any issue. If there is any, we will troubleshoot. Meanwhile, we are conducting a road survey which is almost finished. If there is any problem, we will know through it too", said BRTC General Manager and spokesperson Amjad Hossain.

When asked where the buses will be parked and whether there will be jam in the station areas due to the presence of buses, he said, "Buses may have to park on the road for the time being if there is a lack of parking space. We will know that too in the trial run. But we have to understand that there is jam everywhere in Dhaka. So there may be congestion here during office hours. However, we will think about how to solve this problem during the trial run."

Regarding this, MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), said bus parking space has been kept near each station (Agargaon and Uttara North Station). "BRTC will begin the trial on Wednesday. If there is any problem we will see," he added.

This shuttle service of BRTC will also be fully operational from the day of metrorail launch. Regarding this, DMTCL, which will operate metrorail, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BRTC on November 17. The tenure of the agreement is till 2030. 

Some 50 double-decker buses will provide shuttle service for the metrorail passengers from Agargaon station on Agargaon-Farmgate-Shahbagh-Paltan-Motijheel route and on the Diabari-Abdullahpur-Housebuilding route from Uttara North Station.

The number of buses will be increased based on demand. The buses will run one after another, there will be no specific time, said Amjad Hossain, adding that it will start with the metro-passenger and stop only where the passengers get down. "But we will try to make the journey as comfortable as possible," he said. 

When asked whether only metro passengers can board these buses, he said that it cannot be determined who is a metro passenger. "Whoever can board can go," he said.

Asked about the fare, he said that the fare fixed by the government will be collected and will be collected digitally through the POS machine.

About the bus condition, the spokesperson said, "We will be deploying buses from our existing fleet and they will hopefully be better compared to other city buses." 

However, there is scope that DMTCL can tie up with private companies to provide better and proper services in future if needed, he added.