To restore discipline in Dhaka's public transportation system, the interim government launched a ticket counter-based pink bus service with much publicity in February, but within just five months, this specialized service has turned into Dhaka’s typical local bus service.
From February 6, around 2,610 pink buses from 21 companies began operating on various routes from Abdullahpur to Gazipur. The buses were painted pink for easy identification.
Although the initiative aimed to bring order to public transport and convenience to passengers, commuters say it has failed—resulting instead in more chaos and traffic congestion.
Currently, these pink buses are making pit stops randomly across the capital without following any rules, and passengers are boarding the buses without tickets.
Many even travel standing, just like in local buses, due to lack of seats.
There are allegations that rivalry among bus owners and workers has led to the current state of the pink bus services.
‘It is like a local bus now’
On Wednesday morning, a Dhaka Tribune reporter boarded a Gazipur Paribahan Ltd pink bus operating on the Gazipur-Gulistan-Shimultali route from Mohakhali to observe the service firsthand.
It was found that the bus was being operated disregard for any regulations.
Passengers were freely getting on and off as per their destination, many standing due to a lack of seats.
Interviews with six to seven passengers revealed that for the first month, passengers had to buy tickets from counters, but over the past four months, all announced facilities have gradually become inactive.
Abdullah Al Mamun, a passenger, told Dhaka Tribune: “In February, we had to buy tickets for a few weeks. Then gradually the counters closed, and tickets stopped. I travel daily on these pink buses.
“For the last four months, I didn’t have to buy a ticket.”
Another passenger, Shamsunnahar Polly, who boarded from Mohakhali, said: “Initially, I had to buy tickets from counters for a few days, but now I pay the fare directly to the helper. There’s nothing special about it.
“It is like a local bus now. You can hop on anytime without needing a counter ticket.”
The bus helper, Nuruddin, told Dhaka Tribune: “The ticket system has been suspended. Now there’s no ticketing system anymore. After a few days, it just phased out. I collect fares by hand now.”
Promised benefits of the service
The pink bus service was supposed to follow set rules: operate only on designated routes, require passengers to buy tickets from counters, include an e-ticketing system, allow boarding or disembarking only at designated stops and no standing passengers or overloading would be allowed.
The initiative was further expected to reduce harassment and bring discipline to the roads.
However, within just seven days, the ticket counter and e-ticketing systems came under scrutiny.
Allegations surfaced that passengers were being picked up without tickets, and fares were being charged higher than listed.
As a result, the service has been practically inactive for the past five months.
Why did the service stop?
It is reported that the service was suspended due to politics in the public transport sector and conflicts between transport workers and bus owners.
A bus owners’ association member, who wished to remain anonymous, told Dhaka Tribune that the main reasons behind shutting down the pink bus service are political and financial. Previously, owners received a fixed sum for each trip, while drivers and helpers shared the remaining fare. But with the ticketing system, all fare went directly to the owner, and workers lost their share.
Therefore transport workers stopped cooperating. There's also political interference and attempts to incite the workers, he added.
What do authorities say?
Dhaka Road Transport Owners' Association General Secretary Md Saiful Alam said: “We are working to restart the pink bus service within two months. Several meetings have already been held with the Home Ministry, BRTC, the app company handling e-ticketing, city corporations, and bus company owners.
“We are also counseling drivers and helpers to familiarize them with the system, as proper management is essential for road discipline.”
He continued: “We received complaints after launching the service. The city corporation couldn’t designate space for ticket counters or bus stops. The e-ticketing machines didn’t work—most were defective—so we had to collect fares manually.
“These limitations have forced us to pause the service. We will restart it in a better way in two months.”
Saiful added: “We are aiming for a system where boarding and disembarking occur only at designated stops through a unified ticket. A new app will ensure that fare money goes directly into the respective bus company’s account, with the app company managing the ticketing.
“Drivers will be paid fixed salaries, which will discourage them from picking up extra passengers or engaging in reckless competition on the roads.”
Regarding the political influence, Saiful said: “There are certainly some issues. For the past 16–17 years, the public transport system has operated in a certain way. We can’t just abandon it overnight—we need to transition gradually. Discussions with owners and workers are ongoing.
“We hope to relaunch the pink bus service soon, with new buses. From July 1, we will begin a crackdown on rundown and unlicensed buses.”
