690 AC buses Permitted to Operate in Dhaka Metropolitan Area

The Dhaka Metro Passenger and Goods Transport Committee has granted route permits to eight companies to introduce 690 air-conditioned (AC) buses across various routes in Dhaka, aimed at ensuring modern, safe, and comfortable commuting for passengers. Members of the committee confirmed the decision on Friday.

According to institutional sources, the allocation of the AC buses among the authorized operators includes 200 buses for Shapla Paribahan on the Chandra-Dholaikhal route, 120 buses for Chitra Paribahan Limited on the Nandan Park-Madanpur route, and 100 buses for Time Bird Express on the Savar-Kaliganj Bazar route.

Additionally, Sprint Shuttle Private Limited received permission for 100 buses across the Baraipara-Chittagong Road and Airport Third Terminal-Panchabati routes, while Iqbal Enterprise on the Uttara Panchabati-Keraniganj route and New Dhaka Paribahan on the Signboard-Gazipur Shibbari route were each granted 50 buses.

Trust Transport Services received authorization for 40 buses across two different routes from CMH to Jolsiri Office, and Dhaka Transport Line was permitted to run 30 buses on the Kamalapur-Narayanganj Bondor route.

Per the committee's regulations, these newly permitted buses must feature mandatory automatic doors and e-ticketing systems. The traditional contract-based operations will be abolished in favor of counter-based services. Furthermore, the buses must display route numbers and company branding on their exterior, with all fleets under a specific operator adhering to a uniform color scheme.

The Dhaka Metro Passenger and Goods Transport Committee, headed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner, holds the jurisdiction to issue route permits, define new transit corridors, and monitor public transport operations in the capital. The approval for the 690 vehicles was finalized during the committee's latest session.

Transport specialists have underscored that before deploying these new units, the authorities must conduct thorough demand assessments, designate fixed stoppages, and formulate strict headway schedules. They advocated for a scientifically structured route-permitting framework to address Dhaka’s long-standing public transport challenges sustainably.

Previously, the absence of a standardized pricing policy led to allegations of arbitrary overcharging compared to state-run BRTC AC services. Addressing this, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam announced in a press conference on April 11 that the government has officially fixed the fare matrix for private AC buses. In light of this, leaders of the Road Transport Owners Association have urged the administration to establish a unified and clear fare architecture instead of implementing fragmented, route-specific rates.

Data from the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) reveals that while 7,091 buses are officially registered across 128 routes in Dhaka, only about 3,000 to 4,500 operate daily. Among the active fleet, 3,427 buses ply their authorized routes, 2,018 operate on unassigned paths, and 1,646 vehicles operate entirely without valid route permits.