HC declines bus owners' application seeking permission to operate sleeper buses on highways
According to the association, 89 transport companies operate around 1,000 sleeper AC buses, supporting the livelihoods of about 218,950 people directly and indirectly.
The High Court has declined to stay a Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) order concerning sleeper buses, saying only vehicles authorised by the regulator can operate on roads.
A bench led by Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the order today (9 September) after hearing a petition filed by the Bangladesh Sleeper AC Bus Owners' Association seeking protection from action against its buses.
The association sought an order preventing mobile courts or other authorities from dumping, seizing or otherwise taking action against its buses. It said 89 transport companies operate around 1,000 sleeper AC buses, supporting the livelihoods of about 218,950 people directly and indirectly.
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The owners also argued that existing road transport laws and rules contain no specific technical standards for sleeper buses. They said the BRTA had formed a technical committee to consider their approval and was assessing the buses' structural safety and compliance with AIS-119 standards through Buet.
They sought a stay on the BRTA's 11 August order until the policy and technical assessments were completed, so that buses with valid registration, fitness certificates and route permits could continue operating. The court, however, granted no stay.
BRTA lawyer Md Rafiul Islam said the authority had not registered any sleeper buses and therefore had granted no permission to operate.
He said Section 28 of the Road Transport Act 2018 bars vehicles from operating without route permits, while Section 84 provides up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Tk3 lakh for violations of technical requirements.
Rafiul said mobile courts were conducting drives against unauthorised sleeper buses, with some buses dumped or seized at workshops and several fined.
Earlier writ over passenger safety
Supreme Court lawyer Huzzatul Islam Khan filed a writ on 23 January 2025 seeking an order to stop unauthorised sleeper buses in the interest of passenger safety. That case is still pending.
He said he had sought information from the BRTA under the Right to Information Act and was told that no permission had been issued for sleeper buses.
Huzzatul said he approached the court after observing various irregularities while travelling on sleeper buses. He said the court would ultimately decide whether to stop their operation.
