Nagar Paribahan loses all its charms

Launched in three city routes to offer comfortable services, the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan has allegedly turned into an unpleasant commuting by now as the passengers have to wait for a long time to get a bus for their destination.

Initially more or less satisfied with the services, passengers of the routes have recently started expressing their dissatisfaction as they hardly get a bus even after waiting for half an hour at the stops and compelled to take other buses of the traditional services.

"Whatever services the Nagar Paribahan has been providing were better than the orthodox ones. But nowadays, we hardly find any bus after waiting for half an hour," said Ms Nazneen, a regular passenger of the Ghatarchar-Katchpur route.

Other passengers of the same route, known as route 21, also raised similar allegations and said that although some BRTC buses are still operating on the route, the buses of private operator Trans Silva are not found.

Sources said another private operator Hanif Paribahan also reduced the number of buses from two other routes instead of increasing it in phases as per the contracts.

The Dhaka Nagar Paribahan was first launched in the route 21 from Ghatarchar to Katchpur via Satmasjid road and Shahbagh on a pilot basis on December 26, 2021 as the government-assigned committee on bus route rationalisation (BRR) decided to introduce company system bus service in the green cluster.

Later, two other routes -- Ghatarchar to Demra Staff Quarter and Ghatarchar to Kadamtoli under routes 22 and 26 -- were launched on October 13, 2022.

The BRR committee, formed with the Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor as its chairman and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor as its co-chair, rationalised the city routes to only 42 from over 400 by dividing those under nine clusters.

These routes are supposed to be operated by the buses of 22 private companies. These companies are supposed to be formed by merging the existing ones.

To manage the services, the committee decided to operate the buses jointly by an interested and qualified private operator and the BRTC.

However, sources said, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), secretariat of the BRR committee, has cancelled the contract with Trans Silva due to non-compliance on route 21.

While officials blamed the private company for being unable to increase the number of buses as per the contract, the private operator alleged that the committee was not doing enough to withdraw hundreds of illegal buses from the same route as per the contract.

Sources, however, said another operator Hanif Paribahan refrained from operating their buses although they kept at least 50 new buses ready for operation as per the contract.

An official, preferring not to be named, said 30 buses including 10-15 of Hanif Paribahan were operating in the three routes. He also alleged that a syndicate has also been formed as the company shows a fewer number of passengers at Farmgate-like busy stations.

It is also learnt that the committee is also less interested in improving the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan ahead of the next general election.

The committee meeting has not been held since May 9 last though the committee is supposed to sit every now and then.

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