In a city where commuters routinely dangle from bus doors and fight for standing room, the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation has quietly built a parallel transport system – one that ferries office clerks and university students while leaving the public to fend for itself.
Of its 1,150 buses nationwide, roughly 450 now serve as dedicated ‘staff buses’ for government offices, banks and universities, leaving a mere 70 for Dhaka’s two crore residents.
Established in 1961 to deliver safe, affordable and disciplined public transport, BRTC appears to have abandoned that founding mission.
At a time when Dhaka’s transportation system groans under chronic shortages, a large segment of its operational fleet ferries office-goers rather than the travelling public.
The lifespan of BRTC buses is already less than half of what is normal, and in many cases, less than a third. About 70 per cent of the fleet runs in Dhaka. Yet Dhaka residents rarely reap the benefits.
“Whenever I attempt to board a BRTC bus, I see this ‘staff bus’ sticker, that sticker,” college teacher Md Hashem Uddin told TIMES of Bangladesh. “If everything is rented out, why should we ordinary people ride?”
Female passenger Aklima Begum echoed the sentiment: “BRTC was not like this. Now it is rented out to various institutions, but we are not allowed to board. When we try to board, they mistreat us. They become aggressive.”
BRTC Chairman Abdul Latif Mollah defended the current model, claiming that buses run empty on many routes due to insufficient passengers and that fuel costs are not being met. Another official explained that BRTC is reducing general passenger transport and shifting towards the ‘staff bus’ model citing financial pressure.
He cited a recent report indicating that the number of loss-making buses rose from 45 in January to 63 in February.
When asked why BRTC incurs losses while private companies regularly expand their fleets due to profitability, the organisation’s Director (Administration and Operations) Md Rahenul Islam responded, “Private transport owners first consider where they will make the most profit by providing buses. But BRTC’s responsibility is not only to make profit, but also to ensure public service.”
“We often have to operate routes based on political, social and administrative considerations,” he added.
He also acknowledged systemic challenges: the purchase of buses without verifying actual need, weaknesses in maintenance, and a lack of transparency in procurement and repair processes.
Citing manpower shortages, Rahenul noted that desired trip frequencies are not achieved from individual buses. “Many depots do not have enough mechanics and there is a shortage of skilled drivers. Again, since the recruitment and procurement process in government institutions is relatively long, it is difficult to make quick decisions. Still, we are trying to restore operational discipline step by step.”
The Finance Ministry’s Performance Improvement Strategy (PIS) 2025 report corroborates these concerns, highlighting that BRTC continues to operate largely under an outdated ‘fixed route’ model, where administrative decisions outweigh passenger demand. Consequently, routes with high passenger volume and revenue potential do not receive sufficient buses, while low-demand routes are oversupplied. This mismatch frequently results in empty buses, further straining the corporation’s finances.
Public transport expert Shasmul Haque told TIMES that with proper route planning, effective trip management and modern fleet management, BRTC could deliver significantly greater public service using the same fleet, while also boosting income.
Transport expert Md Hadiuzzaman argued that BRTC’s staff bus-centric model conflicts with public interest. “These state buses were bought for the common people,” he said. “Now they are being used to serve certain institutions. The basic structure of state public transport is not like this anywhere in the world.”
He added that BRTC has been pushed into a competition to transform into a profitable organisation, whereas its primary responsibility should remain ensuring reliable public transport.
Urban planner Adil Muhammad Khan shared this view: “If a state transport organisation like BRTC cannot ensure public transport services itself, then the entire urban transport system becomes weak.”
Shamsul Haque offered a broader critique: “Public transport is a highly technical sector, but there has been a long-standing lack of skilled leadership and scientific planning here. In other words, the crisis is not just a decrease in the number of buses; rather, it is the result of long-standing policy and management failures.”
BRTC is also failing to follow its own policies. Official guidelines state that buses used as staff transport should revert to general passenger service after office hours. In practice, however, most such buses return directly to depots or operate on a highly limited basis.
Allegations of irregularities further cloud the staff bus operations. Some depots reportedly do not run buses on weekends. In certain cases, although contracts stipulate that only scheduled passenger transport is permitted, buses pick up additional passengers en route like local services, with even allegations of extra fares being charged.
The corporation’s inclination towards the staff bus model extends to using expired buses, contravening government orders mandating the removal of old vehicles from roads.
Many buses purchased from China, South Korea and India have already surpassed their economic lifespan. These were later taken to the central repair workshop in Gazipur for refurbishment and returned to service.
BRTC Chairman Abdul Latif Mollah views this practice as a ‘revenue saver’, claiming the government saves money by repairing old buses rather than purchasing new ones.
But Shamsul Haque, who has criticised this approach for its environmental impact, told TIMES: “Renovating old buses that have reached the end of their economic life and running them on the road for a long time not only increases financial risks but is also harmful to the environment.”
He elaborated: “Expired buses usually consume more fuel and emit excess smoke. As a result, on the one hand, operating costs increase, and on the other hand, air pollution in the city also increases.”
According to him, instead of keeping old buses running for the sake of short-term revenue savings, emphasis should be placed on building a modern and environmentally friendly fleet.
