M Humayun Kabir: Commuters continued to suffer for the acute shortage of public transports in the capital city of Dhaka following ongoing campaign against delinquent city bus service operators.
While visiting different city spots on Monday, people were seen waiting for hours to catch bus to reach their destinations, reports Financial Express.
The situation has been prevailing for several days as owners have almost halved the services on the streets for the reason.
Commuters said the number of buses plying in the city came down after the start of the month-long campaign of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on September 4 to restore order in traffic management system.
Nishat Sraboni, a student of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, said she has to fight for boarding a bus to travel to and from her home via Mirpur road.
Traffic hassle is mounting in Dhaka city, Mamunur Rashid, an official of a development organisation, said, adding that the real picture of the traffic system emerges when such campaigns are launched.
MN Lavli Paribahan has reduced the number of its buses to 60 from 90 after the campaign was launched, said a checker of the company.
Lavli runs on the Farmgate-Mouchak-Malibagh-Saidabad-Jatrabari route.
Tafir Ahmed of Welcome Bus Service said they are operating the buses having fitness and legal papers for drivers. They are now operating only 35 out of 60 buses on the Savar-Motijheel route.
Other operators are also maintaining the same practice in the city streets.
Commuters observed that on-demand ride-sharing services are getting enormous response in the present circumstances, but that was not a cheap service.
Ariful Islam, ‘rider’ of a popular service, said that he was receiving more requests from travellers for weeks due to transport crisis.
Contacted, Bangladesh Transport Owners’ Association secretary general Khandaker Enayetullah said, “Those who fail to show legal papers of their vehicles cannot run buses.”
“We have efforts to bring more new buses to hit the streets. To do so, we are talking to respective authorities who decide on the matter,” he mentioned.
The campaign has marked a significant change in the city’s traffic system, said Mir Rezaul Alam, DMP additional commissioner (traffic).
Regarding public bus shortage, Alam said no buses will ply the streets without having legal papers.
According to the DMP, more than 17,000 cases have been lodged and Tk 10 million claimed from those who violated the traffic rules.
Some 40 checkpoints were set up here to check fitness certificates and licences.
A total of 121 bus stops have been set up to prevent buses from stopping wherever they wish.