About 60 double-decker buses are going to hit the city roads to deal with the public transport crisis as the bus owners are operating their vehicles following government’s directives to keep half the seats vacant.
Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) has decided to launch the double-decker buses in the capital from tomorrow (April 4).
Tajul Islam, BRTC Chairman (Additional Secretary), said that responding to the transport crisis in the capital following the rise in Covid-19 cases, the BRTC has taken the decision. The 60 double-decker buses would ply on the city roads from Sunday to reduce sufferings of the passengers observed in the last days. The double-decker buses will run on the important routes in the city, he added.
Earlier, BRTC launched 35 double-decker buses on the roads of Dhaka to alleviate the public transport crisis in the capital. “I believe that the transport crisis will reduce once the 60 double-decker buses start serving the common passengers,” he added.
The government has issued 18-point directives to prevent the second wave of Coronavirus pandemic. All the public transports, including buses, have also been directed to ply on the roads across the country leaving half the seats vacant. The government, however, has increased the fare of buses and some other public vehicles by 60 percent.
The commuters, particularly the office-goers, have been facing acute sufferings on the roads, as many of them are failing to reach their offices timely. Meanwhile, many offices have not taken any decision till now about attendance of employees following the reduction of seats in the public transport. The commuters as well as the city dwellers have blocked roads in different parts of the city in face of untold sufferings on the roads for public vehicles.
In can be mentioned that educational institutions, including the universities, are closed now. As a result, a number of BRTC buses, which are used for different educational institutions, are also lying idle at various depots. These buses will go on operation for the passengers.
