'One route, one company': 32-route franchise model planned to tame Dhaka’s brawling buses

Dhaka's 98 existing bus routes are set to be reorganised into 32 routes under a government plan to bring greater order to the capital's public transport system, with each route to be operated by a single company under a franchised bus service model.

The proposed Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) system will replace the current practice of multiple companies operating on the same route with a "one route, one company" arrangement.

The plan also includes provisions for setting the number of buses on each route and designating operating companies, counters, depots and layover parking facilities.

The DTCA held discussions with bus owners, workers' organisations, and relevant government agencies on 30 September on the proposed franchise system, the involvement of owners and workers, and the infrastructure needed to operate the 32 routes.

Infograph: TBS

The plan has already been sent to the Secretariat for review by all stakeholders.

The DTCA said the proposed routes had been preliminarily finalised following those discussions, although the list is still subject to change. On average, about 70% of the proposed 32 routes correspond to existing routes, according to the proposal.

The routes are intended to bring major transport hubs in and around the capital under a single network, including the Dhaka airport, Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Kuril, Gulistan, Motijheel, Sayedabad, Sadarghat, Kanchpur, Savar, Tongi, Gazipur, and Keraniganj.

The 32 provisionally selected routes include Nandan Park-Demra, Nandan Park-Kanchpur, Diabari-Sadarghat, Sreepur-Dhakeshwari Temple, Konabari-Keraniganj, Gabtoli-Shimultali, Ghatarchar-Salna, Nabinagar-Babubazar, Savar-Kanchpur, Gabtoli-Demra, Gabtoli-Kuril, Kanchpur-Gazipur and Savar-Araihazar, among others.

The plan also proposes setting specific specifications and minimum standards for buses, which operators would be required to meet.

DTCA Deputy Planner Dhrubo Alam said the number of buses on each route would be determined according to passenger demand.

"Once the buses are consolidated, the number of owners and buses will naturally come down to some extent. Fleet management will be carried out based on passenger demand on each route," he said.

Modern 52-seat buses proposed for five routes

Of the 32 proposed routes, 12-metre-long buses with 52 seats have initially been proposed for five key routes, based on passenger demand, bus availability and road conditions.

They are Route 21A, Beraid-Khilgaon Rail Gate; Route 1A, Taltala-Sadarghat; Route 27A, Kanchpur-Gazipur Chowrasta; Route 5, Nandan Park (Jirani)-Demra; and Route 4, Sreepur-Dhakeshwari Temple.

Route 21A is 19.58km long and has an estimated daily passenger demand of 120,878. Route 1 is 56.16km long, with daily demand estimated at 86,509 passengers.

Route 27A is 43.65km long and has daily passenger demand of 85,266, while Route 5 stretches 41.62km and has an estimated demand of 60,890 passengers a day. Route 4 is 54.27km long, with daily passenger demand estimated at 58,910.

Surveys underpin route rationalisation

The route rationalisation plan is based on surveys of passengers and vehicles carried out across the capital.

According to DTCA data, boarding and alighting surveys were conducted with more than 10,000 passengers across the 98 routes currently in operation. Origin-destination surveys, meanwhile, covered more than 35,000 passengers.

Vehicle counts were also conducted continuously for 72 hours at 52 locations across Dhaka. Engineering drawings of nearly 400km of the bus network were prepared using drones.

The surveys also highlighted the limitations of Dhaka's road network. Of the capital's roughly 4,000km of roads, only 280km are considered suitable for bus operations, according to the plan. Of those roads, 168km are in Dhaka North City Corporation and 112km in Dhaka South City Corporation.

25 circular routes also planned

The plan also proposes introducing 25 circular bus routes for short-distance travel. These routes are intended to improve connections with the metro rail network and reduce the movement of battery-powered rickshaws on major roads.

However, the plan says battery-powered rickshaws would first need to be regulated and arrangements made to rehabilitate their drivers before the circular routes are introduced.

Dhrubo said the route selection process would be completed this month.

"We will sit with the owners' association again this week to discuss how buses can be operated under one owner or company on each route. They will propose which company will operate buses on which route," he said.

He further noted that the proposed 32 routes were not final and could be revised following further discussions with bus owners. "We will discuss again who will operate buses on which routes. The proposed 32 routes are not final in any way. There may be changes or revisions, and they may also have different views."

Work is also under way to develop a business model based on the potential number of passengers on each route, he said.

"We hope to complete all the activities within this month. The meeting held under the direction of the [road, transport and bridges] minister was basically only the beginning of the process. Our effort will be to introduce at least some of the routes, even if we cannot launch all 32, and bring the relevant owners under one umbrella," Dhrubo said.

He said the number of buses on individual routes would also be adjusted according to demand.

"If a route requires 60 buses but 100 are currently operating, the excess buses, as well as unfit and dilapidated vehicles, will be removed," he said.

"The owners' association has also agreed in principle to stop operating idle and unsuitable buses," he said.

The next stage will involve verifying the list of buses, inspecting their physical condition and allowing eligible vehicles to operate after specific counters have been designated, Dhrubo said.

Details including bus depots, counters and schedules will be discussed at a later stage, he added.