The latest initiative to overhaul Dhaka's bus network may well prove to be the most ambitious attempt yet to bring order to one of the world's most chaotic urban transport systems. The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has shortlisted 60 bus routes for operation under a single-company franchise model, with 32 routes identified for immediate implementation. The interim government had earlier announced that all buses in the capital would eventually operate under a unified system, promising a disciplined network where buses run on designated routes, stop only at specified points and are managed under a common operational framework.
For millions of Dhaka commuters who endure hours of uncertainty, reckless driving, fare disputes and unbearable congestion every day, the announcement naturally inspires hope. Public transport in the capital has long resembled a battlefield rather than a coordinated service. The absence of route discipline, unhealthy competition among operators and weak regulatory oversight have together created an environment where passengers remain the worst victims.
The DTCA's findings illustrate the scale of the disorder. Although Dhaka officially has 418 approved bus routes, only 98 are currently active. More strikingly, there are 388 unauthorised routes and thousands of buses operating without proper authorisation. Over 7,000 unauthorised buses reportedly ply active routes alongside more than 4,500 approved ones, while over a thousand buses continue to operate without valid fitness certificates. Such statistics expose not merely regulatory lapses but a transport system that has gradually slipped beyond effective administrative control.
Against this backdrop, the proposal to consolidate operations under a franchise-based model appears logical. The authority believes the selected routes could accommodate as many as 80,000 daily riders under unified management.
The concept itself is not new. Many successful metropolitan transport systems across the world operate through route franchises rather than unrestricted competition among numerous private operators. Under such a model, buses no longer compete for individual passengers. Instead, companies are assigned specific routes, revenues are managed transparently and service quality becomes the primary performance indicator. Drivers receive fixed salaries rather than earnings linked to passenger numbers, reducing the dangerous incentive for reckless overtaking and random stopping.
Dhaka itself experimented with a similar concept through the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan service. While limited in scope, that initiative demonstrated that route franchising could improve passenger convenience if supported by sustained institutional commitment. The present proposal seeks to expand that philosophy on a much larger scale.
Yet optimism must be tempered with realism.
The assumption that reducing the number of operating companies will automatically resolve Dhaka's transport anarchy deserves careful scrutiny. Administrative consolidation may simplify management, but it does not, by itself, eliminate the deeper structural problems that have accumulated over decades.
Experience offers an important lesson. The state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) itself is effectively a single operator of its own fleet, yet it has hardly become a model of efficiency or disciplined service. Numerous buses have remained off the roads because of poor maintenance, administrative inefficiency, operational weaknesses and governance failures. Simply placing buses under fewer companies -- or even under one umbrella -- does not guarantee better performance.
The real challenge lies elsewhere. Much of Dhaka's daily traffic paralysis stems not merely from the number of bus operators but from the complete breakdown of operational discipline. Buses routinely stop wherever drivers choose to collect passengers, often in the middle of busy intersections. Several buses queue side by side while competing for passengers, blocking entire lanes and creating cascading congestion. Illegal parking, unauthorised route deviations, overlapping services and disregard for designated stoppages continue almost unchecked. Traffic rules exist, but enforcement remains inconsistent and often ineffective.
Therefore, any meaningful reform must go beyond corporate restructuring. A successful bus franchise system will require complete operational integration. Routes must be scientifically designed to eliminate unnecessary overlaps. Fleet sizes should correspond to actual passenger demand. Modern buses with uniform standards must gradually replace aging vehicles. Digital ticketing should reduce cash handling and improve transparency. Drivers and operational staff should be employed directly by the franchise operator on fixed salaries rather than being forced to maximise daily collections. Above all, regulatory agencies must continuously monitor compliance through technology as well as physical enforcement.
Equally important is political and administrative resolve. Reforming Dhaka's transport sector inevitably affects entrenched commercial interests that have historically resisted attempts to introduce discipline. Previous reform initiatives faltered not because the ideas lacked merit, but because implementation weakened once resistance emerged. Unless the authorities demonstrate sustained commitment over many years rather than a few months, the current initiative could suffer the same fate.
The government's estimate that traffic congestion costs the city around Tk 370 billion annually and wastes approximately 3.2 million working hours every day underlines the enormous economic stakes. Beyond the monetary losses lies an even greater social cost measured in lost productivity, deteriorating public health, increased pollution, mounting psychological stress and diminished quality of urban life.
The success of this reform will ultimately depend less on how many companies operate buses than on whether the rules governing those buses are enforced without exception. Unless unauthorised vehicles are removed, illegal stoppages eliminated, fitness requirements strictly upheld and traffic laws applied impartially, the new arrangement may become little more than an administrative reshuffle.
The proposed overhaul, therefore, represents an important opportunity, perhaps the best in many years, to reset Dhaka's public transport system. Whether it becomes a lasting solution or another unrealised promise will depend not on the elegance of the reform plan but on the determination to enforce it.
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