The government is undertaking major changes to the existing bus route system in an effort to restore order to the capital’s public transport network. Plans have been made to reorganize the 98 currently operational bus routes in Dhaka and reduce them to 32 integrated routes.
As part of this plan, bus services on six routes will be officially inaugurated in the initial phase at 11:00 a.m. today, Sunday, from Manik Mia Avenue in the capital. The initiative has been taken under the Bus Route Rationalization Programme, following directives from the Prime Minister.
Pabna-5 Member of Parliament Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, chief coordinator of the Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council, will attend the inauguration ceremony.
According to Mohammad Mashiur Rahman, Executive Director of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the initiative has been taken to eliminate the long-standing disorder in the capital’s public transport system.
Dhaka currently has 98 active bus routes. The plan is to reorganize these into 32 integrated routes. The routes have been determined by analyzing actual passenger demand, road capacity and traffic movement data. In addition to examining various indicators, information has also been collected using drones.
According to DTCA sources, the initiative to reorganize bus routes in the capital was first taken in 2011. However, the plan could not be implemented at the time for various reasons. Later, in 2019, work began on developing a revised plan based on a review of previous surveys.
Initially, 42 routes were proposed. However, following discussions and coordination with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the two city corporations, bus owners and transport workers' organizations, a consensus was eventually reached on 32 routes.
Detailed information about passenger travel patterns and road usage was collected to determine the new routes. Various surveys were conducted on all 98 active bus routes between 2024 and 2026.
Passenger boarding and alighting data were collected from 18 trips on each route. More than 10,000 passengers were included in this process. In addition, surveys were conducted involving more than 35,000 bus passengers to identify their points of origin and destinations.
Traffic volume was monitored continuously for 72 hours at 72 important locations across the metropolitan area. The infrastructure conditions of approximately 400 kilometres of the bus network were also assessed. Drone imagery and software-based transport models were used to analyze the collected data.
Six routes to be launched initially
The six routes scheduled to begin operations in the initial phase are:
1. Shib Bari Chourasta, Gazipur–Dhakeshwari Temple, Azimpur: Via Abdullahpur.
2. Mirpur Zoo–Chulkutia: Via Science Lab.
3. Ghatar Char Ghat, Basila, Mohammadpur–Demra Staff Quarter: Via Shahbagh and the Fisheries Department area (Matsya Bhaban).
4. Basila–Chittagong Road and Kanchpur Bridge, Narayanganj: Via Science Lab and Jigatola.
5. Ghatar Char–Dhaur Bridge, Abdullahpur: Via Mirpur-10.
6. Tongi College Gate–Dhakeshwari Temple, Azimpur: Via Abdullahpur.
Number and types of buses
Depending on passenger demand on individual routes, plans are in place to operate between 70 and 250 non-air-conditioned buses on each route.
There is also a proposal to introduce 20 air-conditioned (AC) buses on the 22.89-kilometre route between Tongi College Gate and Azimpur.
In addition, the authorities plan to introduce three circular bus services in the Farmgate–Palashi, Mohammadpur and Uttara areas. Each circular route is proposed to operate with 20 buses.