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বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Saturday | 14 November 2026, 29 Kartik 1433 PID registration number 06

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100 electric buses to be launched for women

Published : Saturday, 14 November, 2026 at 5:26 PM

Observer Online Report

To make commuting easier and safer for women, the government is purchasing 100 electric buses. Purchasing these buses, setting up charging stations, and building the necessary infrastructure will cost Tk 400 crore. A target has been set to hand over the buses to the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) by February 25 of next year.

BRTC Chairman Mir Ahmed Tarikul Omar stated that Pragoti Industries has been given the responsibility of purchasing the buses. The organization has already held discussions with several Chinese bus suppliers. There are plans to invite tenders on November 18 and issue the final purchase order on November 22. Following this, the proposal will be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase for approval.

Instead of the conventional open tender method, an initiative has been taken to purchase the buses through the direct procurement method. Earlier, on August 6, the government gave policy approval to an Tk 800 crore project to buy 200 electric buses and build the required infrastructure. In the first phase of this two-stage project, 100 buses are being purchased for women.

The BRTC Chairman mentioned that female passengers are often accompanied by their husbands, brothers, or children. However, because the buses are designated exclusively for women, their male relatives do not get the opportunity to travel on them, resulting in a drop in passenger numbers. To solve this problem, BRTC has sent a proposal to the Road Transport Division seeking permission for male co-passengers up to 16 years of age or up to the secondary school examinee level to travel on these buses.

Additionally, reserving a few seats for male passengers on women-only buses is also under consideration. The agency plans to conduct a social survey to gather public opinion on this matter.

According to BRTC sources, once the 100 new electric buses are added, the special bus service for women will be expanded not just in the capital, but across other divisions of the country as well. Through this initiative, the government aims to build an eco-friendly transport system alongside increasing women's access to public transportation.

-MT

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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