Some 41.81 per cent of CNG-run single-deck buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) have gone out of services within only five years of bringing those into operation.
With the credit of Nordic Development Fund (NDF), the BRTC had bought 275 buses from China since 2010. Of those, more than 115 buses have gone out of services, though the expected longevity of the buses were 10-12 years.
Despite getting services from the vehicles, the state owned transport body has been bearing the burden of the loan’s payment, Tk 4 crore a year, to the NDF since 2011.
Of total Tk122.49 crore, the NDF provided Tk95 crore with the interest rate at 0.75 per cent and the rest amount of money provided by the government, said BRTC Chairman Mizanur Rahman.
Sources at the BRTC said they have kept the non-functional buses parked at different depots in the capital. While, they had plied some buses irregularly because of high maintenance cost.
According a BRTC statement, the maintenance cost for the buses was Tk77 lakh against its total revenue only Tk80 lakh.
BRTC Director (Technical) Col Abdullahel Karim told the Dhaka Tribune that the maintenance works in the buses are going very slow due to lack necessary parts.
“We procured 10 per cent extra equipment while buying the buses from China. But all the equipment have been finished,” he said.
“We could not ply most of the CNG-run buses due to high maintenance cost,” he added.
