BRTA chairman: No more ‘Gate Lock’ or ‘Seating Service’ buses from Sunday

Passenger buses will not be allowed to offer "Seating Service" or "Gate Lock" service on Dhaka streets from Sunday, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has announced. BRTA Chairman Md Moshiar Rahman made the announcement while talking to reporters after a meeting between the BRTA and the leaders of bus owners associations at the BRTA head office in the city on Saturday, reports UNB. In addition, Moshiar said that some seats must be reserved for women and people with disabilities on every public bus, and bus staff must not misuse these reserved seats. He added that anyone charging fares higher than those fixed by the BRTA will face legal action, while the official fare chart must be hung in a clearly visible place on the bus. General Secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity Khandker Enayetullah said drives led by BRTA magistrates will be conducted to enforce the decision. He said the decision was being implemented to bring all passenger buses in the capital under discipline. Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity, an association of passenger bus owners in the capital, at its general meeting on April 4 decided that no "Sitting Service" or "Gate Lock" passenger bus will be allowed to operate in Dhaka from April 15, as additional fares were being charged from passengers for the services illegally. About the delay in implementation of the decision, Khandker Enayetullah said it was not possible to execute the change by the stipulated date as the association leaders could not sit with BRTA on Friday due to the Pohela Boishakh holiday. “We sat with BRTA today (Saturday), so our previous decision will be enforced from tomorrow,” he said.