Staff Reporter:
An exclusive BRTC bus service for women was introduced yesterday in Dhaka City.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam yesterday said the women-only bus ser-vice would be expanded across the country in phases.
“The government is committed to ensuring safe, comfortable and women-friendly public transport,” he said while inaugurating a women-only bus service at the headquarters of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) here.
He said women often face various forms of discomfort and risks while waiting for buses, travelling on them and getting off. The women-friendly bus service has been introduced to provide them with a safer environment, he added.
“The objective is to ensure that women can travel comfortably and participate more actively in the country’s economic and social activities,” he said.
Noting that women account for nearly half of the country’s population and more than half of its vot-ers, Shaikh Rabiul said their contributions to nation-building and the economy are equally im-portant.
He stressed the need for safe and reliable transport facilities so that women’s potential can be uti-lised for the country’s development.
State Minister for Road Transport and Highways Division Habibur Rashid, Road Transport Division Secretary Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haque and senior officials from various ministries attended the pro-gram.
The minister said introducing a dedicated bus service for women was one of the commitments of the present government.
Referring to BRTC’s current operations, Shaikh Rabiul said the corporation is now operating more than 1,200 buses and over 500 trucks.
The minister said steps are being taken to transform BRTC into a more modern, passenger-friendly and efficient organization. Changes would also be made to the route management system of public transport in the capital, he added.
Pointing to inconsistencies in Dhaka’s route permit system, Shaikh Rabiul said permits still exist for many routes that are no longer operational, while buses operate on some routes without valid permits.
The government would now reassess the routes based on passenger demand, traffic pressure and current requirements and rationalize route permits and transport management accordingly.
The minister also said the government had taken initiatives to introduce electric buses to develop an environment-friendly public transport system.
As part of the initiative, 200 electric buses have already been procured through a direct purchasing process, he said. There is a plan to designate 100 of those buses for women.
He explained that procuring electric buses through a project would require project formulation, approval, tendering and international procurement procedures, which could take around one and a half to two years.
“To introduce environment-friendly transport quickly, we have therefore opted for direct procure-ment system,” he said.
Ensuring safe transportation, he said, the government would further increase women’s participa-tion in employment, education and economic activities.
Addressing the BRTC officials and other stakeholders, the minister said the quality of the newly launched service must be improved further within two months.
BRTC Chairman Abdul Latif Molla presided over the programme where Additional Secretary of the ministry Anisur Rahman, Chief Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department Md Moniruz-zaman and senior officials from various ministries were also present.
Local public representatives and district administration officials from Chattogram and Bogura joined the programme online.
