No mismanagement or negligence will be tolerated: Rabiul Alam

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam has warned that bus companies in Dhaka will be given a fixed timeframe to improve service quality, vehicle conditions, passenger services and operational discipline, failing which new companies may be formed on the respective routes. If that also proves ineffective, the government may cancel the routes and operate buses under public management.

The minister made the remarks at a discussion with bus owners under the bus route rationalisation programme at the Road Transport Building in Tejgaon on Monday. He said accountability for buses, drivers, employees and overall service standards would rest with the companies rather than individual owners. “I will recognise companies, not individual bus owners,” he said, stressing that buses failing to meet prescribed standards need not remain in a company’s fleet.

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Addressing the owners’ demand for higher fares, Rabiul said passenger safety, comfort and service quality must come first, while any reasonable return for operators should remain consistent with improved services. He also discussed regulating charging-powered autorickshaws, identifying designated bus stops, expediting driving licences for qualified drivers and gradually relocating major terminals outside Dhaka. The minister said the government would allow transport entrepreneurs time to improve, but would not tolerate persistent mismanagement, negligence or non-cooperation.