Millions spent, but bus stands fail to bear fruit

Built to make public transport safer and more organised, Dhaka's bus stands and bus bays are largely failing to serve their purpose as poor maintenance, illegal occupation and the widespread practice of buses ignoring designated stoppages leave commuters waiting on busy roads. 

Despite millions of Taka spent by the two city corporations over the past decade, many facilities have fallen into disrepair or been encroached upon, forcing passengers to board buses from unsafe locations while worsening traffic congestion.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) have constructed and renovated dozens of bus stands and bus bays over the years to improve commuter safety and traffic management. However, many of the facilities are now poorly maintained, while others have been occupied by hawkers, shops and homeless people, limiting their use for passengers.

Visits to several areas under DNCC and DSCC found buses routinely bypassing designated stands and bus bays, with passengers waiting on busy roads and boarding buses from unsafe locations. The problem was observed in Shahbagh, Motijheel, Banani, Kakoli, Gulshan-1, Tejgaon Seven Roads, Matsya Bhaban, Kalabagan, Mirpur, Agargaon, Rampura, Badda and Kallyanpur.

At Shahbagh, the bus shelter in front of Pathak Samabesh has become a refuge for homeless people instead of a waiting point for commuters. Buses rarely stop there, and most passengers gather near the traffic signals as buses leave the intersection without entering the designated stop.

In Banani and Kakoli, bus bays remain largely unused as buses continue to stop on the main carriageway. At Gulshan-1, hawkers have occupied a large section of a bus shelter, leaving little space for commuters. At Tejgaon Seven Roads, part of a shelter has been taken over by shops, while the remaining structure has deteriorated. The shelter beside Panthakunja Park has also lost much of its structure, leaving passengers exposed to the sun and rain.

Similar conditions were found at stands in Motijheel, Paltan, Gawsia, Baitul Mukarram, Dhaka Medical College, Kalabagan and outside Shishu Academy, where many have been converted into tea stalls, plant shops, storage spaces and vending areas. Several stands also have damaged roofs, broken benches and accumulated waste around them.

The designated bus bays have also failed to improve traffic management. Along Airport Road and in areas including Banani, Kakoli and Kalshi, buses continue to stop on the main carriageway instead of using the designated bays. As a result, passengers board and alight from unsafe locations, while traffic movement is disrupted.

Passengers said Dhaka does not have enough bus stands for its rapidly growing population and questioned why some were built in places with limited passenger demand or where buses rarely stop.

Bus drivers, however, argued that passengers often ask to be picked up or dropped off outside designated stoppages, making it difficult for them to follow traffic regulations.

Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, told the Daily Observer that his organisation had repeatedly raised the issue with the authorities.

"We have informed the authorities about these problems many times. They have given assurances, but effective action has yet to be taken. As a result, passengers continue to suffer," he said.

Asked who should be held primarily responsible for buses failing to stop at designated stands, he said the shortage of public buses in Dhaka was one of the main reasons.

"Some transport owners deliberately operate fewer buses. This creates disorder and makes it difficult to ensure proper stopping practices," he added.

Nur Azizur Rahman, Chief Engineer of DSCC, told the Daily Observer that the city corporation regularly conducts drives to remove illegal occupants from bus stands.

"After the drives, many occupants return. We are continuing our efforts," he said.

Referring to coordination with other agencies, he said regular meetings were being held to address the issue.

"Dhaka is an overloaded city. Solving these problems will take time. Work is also under way to relocate the city's four major bus terminals. We hope this will help improve traffic discipline," he added. According to official figures, DNCC and DSCC have constructed 79 new bus stands and renovated several older ones in recent years.