14,000 unfit buses, trucks to be taken off streets starting May: BRTA

Some 14,000 buses and trucks, which have exceeded their lifespan and are considered unfit, will be removed from roads starting from May, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Mohammed Yasin has said.  

These unfit vehicles will no longer be allowed on roads, he said at a meeting with relevant stakeholders at BRTA's Mirpur Circle Office in the capital today (1 January).

The economic lifespan of a bus is 20 years, while for a truck, it is 25 years, he noted.

Meanwhile, some vehicle owners have requested loans on easy terms to acquire new vehicles, for which the BRTA has communicated with the government, the chairman said.

"Arrangements will be made to facilitate the provision of loans through banks."  

BRTA maintains a database of all registered vehicles. It suggests that at present approximately 14,000 buses and trucks operating on various routes have already exceeded their economic lifespan, BRTA Director Shitanshu Shekhar clarified at the meeting.  

For disposal of the outdated vehicles, construction of dumping grounds is currently underway at designated locations, he said.

BRTA aims to expedite service; driver education stressed  

Also, the BRTA plans to launch five more vehicle inspection centres in various circle offices to expedite vehicle inspections and fitness certification. 

Shekhar further said BRTA offices will be established in all districts to provide services at the doorstep of citizens in a fast approach.

At the meeting, stakeholders raised a number of concerns regarding safety and operation.  

Abdur Rahim Bux Dudu, president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, highlighted the absence of institutional driver education in the country.  He underscored the need to incorporate traffic education and awareness into the academic curriculum, a demand which he said has been pending for 30-35 years.  

Dudu pointed out that slow-moving vehicles are a major contributor to accidents on highways.

To curb accidents as well as to improve safety, the implementation of lane discipline on highways on the basis of vehicles' types is urgent, he said.  

At the meeting, Jahid Al Latif, organising secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, pointed out the lack of success in previous initiatives by the authority and called for a fresh approach.

In response, BRTA Chairman Yasin said awareness-raising campaigns will be conducted among the drivers and public.  

Commenting on the safety issues of battery-run easy bikes, he said a safety assessment on the three-wheelers is currently underway at Buet. The BRTA will take its next steps based on the Buet findings.  

Addressing concerns regarding driving licence issuance, Chairman Yasin acknowledged the backlog of pending licences, saying that around 5 lakh licences are pending at present.  

To expedite the process, the BRTA is working to raise the daily printing capacity to 10,000 licences, he said. 

The existing contract with the licence printing provider will expire in July, and the BRTA is now searching for a new vendor, the chairman added.

Meter rates still elusive in CNG-run auto-rickshaws   

Industry people said currently the control of the CNG-run auto-rickshaw sector is at the hands of a certain quarter of owners, given that no new approval for three-wheelers has been granted in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitans for the past 20 years.

Consequently, the government set provisions regarding meter-regulated fare rates and owners' daily deposits from drivers are not being maintained properly.

Officials at today's meeting said the BRTA has gotten into difficulty resolving the issues in the CNG-driven auto-rickshaw sector, owing to differences between various associations of owners. 

Acknowlding the matter, the BRTA chairman said it has become difficult to fix the issues regarding meter-regulated rates and daily deposits.

Noting that the ride-sharing services have contributed to a decrease in auto-rickshaw fares, compared to their previous abnormal rates, he warned, "Strict measures will be taken within the next one to two months to resolve the issues regarding meter-regulated fares and daily deposits."