Decision on 'seating service' soon: Quader

With the special drive against so-called "seating service" buses plying the Dhaka streets remaining suspended for the last six months, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said the government will take a decision in this regard within a couple of weeks.

The committee, which was designated to make recommendations for quality passenger services in mass transport sector in Dhaka, will submit their report to the ministry within next week, Quader said.

Then, a decision over seating services will be taken scrutinising the committee's recommendations, he told reporters emerging from a meeting of the Road Transport Advisory Council at the ministry. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan was present there.

Mahbub-E-Rabbani, director (road safety) of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and also the head of the committee, told The Daily Star: “We have already submitted our report to the chairman of BRTA. Now he will forward the report to the ministry.”

He declined to disclose any detail of the report.

However, a committee member, on condition of anonymity, told this correspondent that they had opined in favour of "seating service."

Amid widespread allegations of charging extra fare in the name of “seating service”, BRTA in association with Dhaka Road Transport Owners' Association conducted mobile courts to stop such practice in mid-April. However, the drive was suspended as  a good number of buses were withdrawn from the streets for five consecutive days of the drive.  

Then, BRTA formed the eight-member committee, which has submitted its recommendations recently to BRTA.

Talking to reporters, Obaidul Quader said the ministry has sought opinion from Buet experts about extending the economic lifeline of CNG-run auto-rickshaws. “A decision would be taken soon after receiving the opinion,” he said.

In November last year, leaders of auto-rickshaw owners and workers' associations in an application submitted to the ministry sought extension of the economic lifeline of CNG-run auto-rickshaws by six more years.