Corruption in the country’s road transport sector remains a pressing concern, with its dynamics changing but not diminishing, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam said on Saturday. “There is a political influence intertwined with the chaos on the roads. So, resolving the issue will not be easy,” he said while speaking at a national dialogue held at the Bangladesh Press Institute on Saturday. Nahid emphasised the need for institutional management and structural reforms to restore order in the sector. The adviser said that political parties must play a proactive role in curbing corruption, as many of the issues involve their workers and leaders. He also criticised previous administrations for their failure to deliver public-focused development. “Development under previous governments was not centred on the people. As a result, the public did not benefit. Future policies must prioritise inclusive development that addresses the needs of the general population.” '2024 victory completes our independence': Nahid Officials from organisations involved in the transport sector attended the dialogue. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Mohammed Yasin underscored the need for modernisation and announced decisive steps to improve the system. “No old buses will be allowed to operate. A timeline has been provided, and necessary measures must be taken within this period.” Yasin also stressed the importance of a permanent plan to free roads and footpaths from encroachment, noting that temporary solutions like evictions are inadequate. “The solution should be well-planned and sustainable.” Rampant Corruption A recent study conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) revealed the extent of corruption within the private bus transport sector. Its findings indicate that private buses and minibuses pay nearly Tk 1,059.37 crore annually in extortion money. The largest share of this amount, more than Tk 900 crore, is reportedly paid as bribes to BRTA officials for vehicle registration, certification, and renewal processes. Other recipients of the extortion money include political affiliates, highway police personnel, city corporations, and municipality officials. The study, titled “Integrity in Private Bus Transport Business,” surveyed 701 bus workers, 168 bus owners, and 696 passengers, alongside observing 51 bus terminals and interviewing 37 key informants such as researchers, journalists, and city corporation officials. Adviser Nahid seeks Saudi Arabia’s investment in IT Sector Conducted between May 2023 and February 2024, the study covered private bus operations in 32 districts, painting a grim picture of the sector’s integrity. The findings highlighted how syndicates and bus owner-worker associations, backed by ruling party affiliates, have effectively held the industry hostage. In some instances, even government authorities appear powerless against these groups. Call for Reforms The dialogue underscored the urgency of comprehensive reforms to ensure safety, efficiency, and public satisfaction in the transport sector. Institutional management, political commitment, and structural changes were identified as critical components to addressing the persistent issues. The Road Safety Foundation organised the event.

The Road Safety Foundation (RSF), a rights body, on Monday demanded the government take strict action to stop anarchy in the transportation sector in general and road and riverways in particular with fares and extortion during the upcoming Eid journey.  “This year, 80-90 lakh people will travel from the capital Dhaka to their homes across the country  to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, which is more than ever before. We do not have the vehicles to transport such a large number of passengers in just 5 days. As a result, there is a risk of increasing vehicle crisis and anarchy this time,” the RSF said in a joint statement. READ: Half bus fares for students in Dhaka metropolitan area from Wednesday In the joint statement, the RSF's Chairman Prof Dr A I Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Vice Chairman M. S Siddiqui, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, Abdul Hamid Sharif, Profr Hasina Begum and Executive Director Saidur Rahman also said that rent anarchy will be created due to extortion on the roads and waterways, which will make the Eid journey unbearable. The extortion syndicate has already become active on the roads and waterways centering the Eid journeys.  Past experience shows that political extortion of several thousand crores of taka takes place during the Eid season alone. Unfortunately, many police personnel are involved in these extortions, the joint statement said. 

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday raised a question in parliament whether “government authorities” have made any ‘entente’ with transport sector leaders. “The reports on charging extra fares, harassing passengers and various irregularities in the transport sector are regularly run by the media… who’s actually controlling the transport sector--the government or the transport owners, or the workers--?” he questioned. While delivering the valedictory speech in the 15th session of the 11th parliament, the Jatiya Party chief also wanted to know, “Who are working to protect the interests of people in an important sector like transport? Is there any entente between the government authorities and the leaders of this sector? Many people make such an allegation.” Also read: Road anarchy over bus fares must be stopped: GM Quader GM Quader, also Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, was seen smiling while raising the question standing beside his party MP Moshiur Rahman Ranga, president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners 'Association. He said it is only natural that transport owners may demand an increase in bus fares due to the rise in fuel prices but people were subjected to inhuman sufferings as a transport strike was imposed without any prior notice. The Jatiya Party chairman also did not find any justification behind the suspension of services by gas-run buses. He said Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), which is responsible for building a modern and disciplined road transport system, should have taken effective punitive action against those who disrupted the road transport system by going on strike without any notice. He said the BRTA fixed new fares for the diesel-run buses as per their demand, but both the gas-run and diesel-run buses are taking extra fares from the passengers. GM Quader also said the students’ current demand for ensuring half bus fare for them is a justified one. Also read: No one to look into public sufferings: GM Quader He said students in different countries travel by public transport at lower fares than usual. “This system was in practice in our country in the past.” He hoped that the authorities concerned will implement the issue of half fares for students as soon as possible either by enacting a law or an executive order. In his speech, GM Quader made a demand for introducing retirement benefits for the MPs.  “We’ve many MPs serving people for 20-25 years as their representative. In many countries, MPs are given retirement support. I demand that such arrangements be made in our country, “he observed. The Jatiya Party chief said similar benefits can also be introduced for mayors, councilors, chairmen, vice-chairmen and members of local government bodies.

Under fire in parliament for the current chaos in the transport sector, Highways and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said he has to adjust as a minister while discharging his duties. “I want to tell you one thing very clearly, there’re so many problems. You’ll have to face so many things when you'll be there in the [hot] seat. While discharging my duties as a minister, I need to adjust to so many issues,” he said. The minister said this while facing blistering attacks by opposition MPs over an anarchic situation and recent fatal accidents on roads. He, however, admitted that restoring discipline in the transport sector is a must for the country. “We talk too much. But we don’t work that much compared to what we say. We don’t implement the job what we believe in, and what we implement, we don’t believe in that.” Earlier participating in the discussion during the passage of the “Highway Bill-2021,” several MPs of BNP and Jatiya Party came down heavily on the minister and the government for the sorry state of the roads and the transport sector. Read: Now people call us “collaborators” for overpraising govt: Chunnu They also criticized the minister for reducing the severity of punishment and financial penalty in the Road, Transport Bill-2018 due to pressure from the transport owners and workers. In the face of the strong criticism by the MPs over the fatal road accidents, the minister said it is not only reckless driving or the drivers who are responsible for the road crashes -- reckless crossing of roads by pedestrians are also responsible for such tragic incidents. He said VIPs are also responsible for mismanagement and disorder on the roads as they are unwilling to follow traffic rules. Participating in the discussion, Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque Chunnu said what is the government doing? “Two people were killed in two days. How a driver of the city corporation can hire another person to drive a vehicle,” he blasted.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has advised the authorities concerned to make a customer-friendly electric vehicle (EV) recharging policy as EVs will dominate the future transport sector. “We’ve to put in place a pragmatic policy on this most burning issue considering its various aspects,” he said while speaking at a virtual meeting on “Guidelines for Electric Vehicle Re-charging” on Sunday. Read Quick energy supply: Cabinet approves 5-yr extension of special provision The location of recharging stations, the types of the vehicles and other issues should be brought under consideration while framing a policy guideline for recharging electric vehicles, Nasrul said. Power Secretary Md Habibur Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council Satyajit Karmakar, chairman of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) Mohammad Alauddin, chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) Belayet Hossain, chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BERB) Moin Uddin, director general of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain and heads of departments of various organizations also attended the virtual meeting. Read: Uninterrupted affordable energy main challenge in future: Nasrul Hamid

Voicing concern over overcrowding in public transports, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the government has surrendered to the public transport syndicate.

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has urged the government to reconsider its decision to raise bus fare by 60 percent amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a message on Tuesday, CAB President Ghulam Rahman said that the increased fare, effective from June 1, is unacceptable considering the current situation. In most cases, the bus owners are charging more and even double the fare from passengers, CAB said. It said most of the people have been struggling for more than two months without any income and hence, there is no reason to burden passengers with extra fare to reimburse transport owners.   CAB said that the government-proposed safety measures and keeping 50 percent seats empty are not going to be followed. The association said the safety of the passengers in the actual context is not ensured and the increased fare is not favouring the passengers. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) recommended raising bus fare by 60 percent from its previous announcement of 80 percent.

Bangladesh Auto-Rickshaw Light Vehicle Transport Workers Federation (BALTWF) has demanded that the government take strict action against extortionists in the transport sector ahead of the resumption of public transport after a two-month break.

The leaders of Bangladesh Auto-Rickshaw Auto-Tempo Transport Workers’ Federation (BAATWF) on Friday urged the government to save the transport sector from ‘extortion by police and political leaders’.