After banning two strokes three wheelers and rickshaws from certain roads, the situation has become even worse. Though some new routes and buses have been introduced, they are not adequate in number.

Passengers, particularly the female ones, are badly affected due to this inadequacy of public transport. In the local buses, a few seats have been fixed for female passengers. Normally there are four to five seats for them at the front left corner of the bus. Again, this number is not enough.

Moreover, most of the time these female seats are occupied by male passengers and they usually decline to leave the seat when a female passenger gets on the bus. Not only that, even the helper and conductor of a local bus often refuses to take a female passenger when these seats are occupied by the male passengers.

Many times they have to travel by standing with their male counterparts in a packed bus. In a standing position they face another problem. While standing, they are sexually harassed by some lewd passengers; sometimes even by the helpers and conductors of the bus.

Our communication minister has taken some laudable initiatives to improve the communication system. Honourable minister should take another praiseworthy step for these ill-fated female passengers by increasing the female bus services in Dhaka city and advice bus owners to increase the number of female seats in the bus. Better even to allot special buses to commute women only.