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An initiative has been taken to introduce a modern city bus service with 500 electric buses by developing the necessary infrastructure under the bus-route franchise (BRF) system.
The aim is to improve the air quality of Dhaka, which is often ranked as having the world's most polluted air.
Under the Bangladesh Clean Air Project phase-1, the World Bank is expected to provide $300 million to formulate the related policies and develop the necessary infrastructure, including intelligent transport system and institutional capacity.
A stakeholder meeting in this connection was held at the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority's (DTCA) conference room on Tuesday.
According to the project information, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and DTCA will work together to develop vehicle inspector centres and bus fleets, upgrade depots, and develop ITS system under the bus modernisation programme.
The meeting was informed that $75-100 million would be provided for 500 e-buses and viability gap funding for operational viability.
It was also informed that facilities like electronic fare collection system, passenger information system, web portal and mobile application have been included in the project.
Held with DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhter in the chair, the meeting was attended by Road Transport and Highways Division's Senior Secretary Md Ehsanul Hoque.
Also present were officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and other related agencies, including the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, the Ministry of Finance, the Economic Relations Division, the environment ministry, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, BRTA, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, the Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Railway, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha.