The government is moving ahead with a major overhaul of Dhaka’s chaotic bus system, seeking to determine which companies will operate on specific routes while relocating the capital’s four major inter-district bus terminals outside the city within the next two to two-and-a-half years.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam announced the plan on Thursday, describing it as part of a broader effort to bring discipline to public transport, reduce traffic congestion and end the long-standing practice of multiple operators competing on the same routes.
Under the proposed reform, buses operating on a particular route will gradually be brought under company-based management, replacing the current fragmented ownership structure.
Each route will operate under uniform standards, colour schemes, fitness requirements and passenger service guidelines.
“We are working on determining which company’s buses will operate on which routes,” the minister said at a dialogue organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat.
At the same time, the government plans to move Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Sayedabad and Fulbaria bus terminals outside the city to prevent them from functioning as depots and workshops.
According to the plan, Gabtoli Bus Terminal will be relocated to Hemayetpur, Mohakhali to an area near Abdullahpur in Uttara, Sayedabad to Kanchpur and Fulbaria to Keraniganj.
Around 50 bighas of land are already being acquired for the new Mohakhali terminal.
The minister said the existing terminals have effectively become maintenance yards where buses remain parked for repairs, painting and servicing, worsening congestion and disrupting passenger movement.
Roadside bus counters that have turned into unofficial terminals in areas such as Kalabagan and Kalyanpur will also be gradually removed, while buses will no longer be allowed to pick up or drop off passengers in front of counters.
Rabiul said city corporations, transport owners, labour organizations and law enforcement agencies have agreed to a phased reform process, with visible improvements expected within four to six months.
If implemented successfully, the reforms would mark one of the most significant reorganizations of Dhaka’s public transport system in decades.