Road Transport and Bridges, Shipping and Railways Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Thursday said four major inter-district bus terminals in the capital will be relocated within the next two to two-and-a-half years as part of efforts to ease congestion and bring discipline to the city's transport system.

“We cannot allow bus terminals to function as workshops. We have taken plans to establish separate depots,” he said at a dialogue organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at Secretariat.

The existing terminals have effectively turned into bus depots and workshops, with vehicles remaining parked for days for repairs, painting and maintenance, he said.

The terminals slated for relocation are Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Sayedabad and Fulbaria bus terminals.

According to the plan, Sayedabad Bus Terminal will gradually be shifted to Kanchpur while Fulbaria Bus Terminal will be relocated to Keraniganj.

Gabtoli Bus Terminal will move to Hemayetpur and Mohakhali Bus Terminal will eventually be shifted near Abdullahpur in Uttara, where around 50 bighas of land are being acquired, he added.

Until the relocation process is completed, the new sites will initially operate as depots, while buses will continue to depart from the existing terminals according to scheduled timings, said the minister.

The terminals will continue to function as passenger terminals but will no longer serve as depots once the new facilities become operational, he said adding “We expect to complete the relocation of all bus terminals within two to two-and-a-half years.”

Highlighting broader transport reforms, the minister said buses operating on the same route under multiple individual owners would gradually be brought under company-based operations to improve discipline and service quality.

Under the proposed system, buses on a particular route will operate under a single company with uniform standards, colour schemes, fitness requirements and passenger facilities. The government is also encouraging the use of electric vehicles, he said.

He also noted that efforts are underway to improve facilities at bus terminals, including waiting rooms, toilets, lighting and security measures, to encourage passengers to use designated terminals.

The bus counters operating along roadsides were temporarily allowed to continue ahead of Eid to avoid inconvenience for passengers, but stakeholders including transport owners, labour organisations, city corporations, metropolitan police and relevant government agencies have agreed on a phased transition, he said.

“The city corporations will improve terminal facilities, while the metropolitan police will ensure security, adequate street lighting and CCTV coverage,” he added.=

Expressing optimism about the reform process, the minister said visible improvements in Dhaka’s bus terminal management and operations would begin to emerge within the next four to six months.

The dialogue was chaired by BSRF President Masudul Haque and moderated by its General Secretary Ubaidullah Badal.