Legal notice seeks ban on BRTC bus rentals by govt agencies

A legal notice has been served on the government demanding an immediate ban on renting BRTC buses to government ministries and agencies to ease the public transport crisis.

The notice also called for all buses in the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) fleet to be made available exclusively for public passengers. It urged government agencies to purchase their own buses or hire transport services from the private sector for official travel.

Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan Mamun sent the legal notice on Tuesday in the public interest.

The notice was addressed to the Cabinet Secretary, secretaries of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry and the Finance Ministry, and the chairman of BRTC.

It said BRTC was established with taxpayers’ money primarily to ensure safe and affordable transport for citizens. However, a large portion of its fleet is currently being rented out to various government ministries and agencies instead of being fully used to serve the public.

As a result, ordinary citizens are facing severe transport shortages while a large number of buses remain engaged in transporting government officials, the notice said.

It termed the policy of depriving the public of state-run public transport discriminatory and unjustified.

The notice also referred to the macroeconomic concept of the “circular flow of income”, arguing that when government ministries and agencies rent buses from BRTC, state funds merely circulate between government entities instead of reaching the private market and the public.

It demanded that renting BRTC buses to government ministries and agencies be completely prohibited within 10 days and that all BRTC buses be made available for public transport.

Otherwise, a writ petition will be filed with the High Court Division in the public interest, the notice said.

sks