Rapid Pass, a smart ticketing system, has also been introduced in the circular buses at Hatirjheel in the capital.
Road transport and bridges adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan inaugurated the service on Sunday afternoon in the Tejgaon section of Hatirjheel.
The event was also attended by Special Assistants to the Chief Advisor Md. Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, Sheikh Moinuddin and Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb.
At the event, DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhtar said that as part of collecting fares for all public transport through Rapid Pass cards, the Hatirjheel Circular Bus Service (HR Transport Agency) has launched the Rapid Pass card fare collection programme. This card can be used to travel on all public transports, including the metro rail. There is no possibility of charging additional fares beyond the government-set fare. There is no hassle of cash and change.
She said that this card will be available at all counters of Hatirjheel circular buses. In addition, this card can be collected from all branches of Dutch Bangla Bank and metro rail stations.
Currently, the HR Transport Agency is operating the Hatirjheel circular bus services.
According to the DTCA, the passengers can use the same Rapid Passes they use at the metro stations.
The passengers will also be able to buy and recharge Rapid Passes from eight ticket counters of the Hatirjheel bus service.
Since October 2024, the DTCA started to sell Rapid Passes from the metro stations.
Till July 18, total 14.15 lakh Rapid Passes were sold, while another 2.5 lakh will arrive next month.
Regarding the drive to remove the date-expired buses and trucks, a BRTA press release issued on July 13 said that the road transport authority along with the district administrations police, transport owners and workers will run the drive from Sunday.
According to the release, the drive will run during both day and night to remove those buses and minibuses that are older than 20 years, and goods-laden vehicles including trucks, older than 25 years.
Earlier on June 19, the Road Transport and Highways Division under the road transport ministry issued a circular, saying that following the Road Transport Act 2018’s Section 36, the government had set the economic life of the buses and minibuses at 20 years and the economic life of the goods-laden vehicles, including trucks and covered vans, at 25 years.
Like the ousted Awami League-led government, the interim government has set several deadlines to drive these vehicles off the street, but they are still running, flouting the existing law.
According to the BRTA, from 1988, when it was established, till May this year 85,198 buses and minibuses and 2,14,445 trucks, covered vans and tankers were registered under it. The BRTA has no data on the phased out vehicles registered under it.
Out of these registered vehicles, 39,169 buses and minibuses are older than 20 years, and 41,140 trucks, covered vans and tankers are older than 25 years, as per BRTA.
