The cabinet has approved in principle the draft of the Bus Rapid Transit Act 2016, with an aim to reduce the time it takes to travel between Dhaka and Gazipur to as little as 20 minutes.
The approval was made yesterday at the weekly cabinet meeting in secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Shafiul Alam said: “The law will regulate the BRT system designed to reduce traffic jam in Dhaka and Gazipur.
“Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) means a dedicated lane for bus which is to be constructed from Gazipur to Dhaka into the existing six-lane [road],” said the cabinet secretary.
The project started on November 31, 2012, to set up a dedicated bus lane with the capacity to transport 40,000 passengers per hour on the Gazipur-Airport-Jhilmil route.
The February 2015 deadline for completing a detailed design of the bus lanes from Airport to Gazipur has not yet been met. However, the project authority has recently floated a tender for the Gazipur BRT depot.
The first phase of the 42km BRT project is to be constructed from Gazipur’s Shibbari to Dhaka airport and the second phase from Dhaka airport to Keranigonj’s Jhilmil. It would take 42 minutes for a bus to travel the entire route and only 20 minutes to reach the airport from Gazipur.
Shafiul said: “The BRT Act 2016 proposed a provision of a Tk5,000,000 fine and a 10-year imprisonment for illegal operation of the BRT or illegal handover of operating license.
“The law also proposed 10 years of jail or Tk5,000,000 fines for selling tickets without approval by the authority; however the staff of BRT will be awarded two years of imprisonment and Tk50,000 fine for the violation of rules,” he added.
“The law also proposed the formation of a seven-member committee for fixing the fares from time to time with directives from the government,” the cabinet secretary said.
“The licence holders will ensure compulsory insurance for the passengers and provide compensation for death or injury by any accidents,” he added.
