AC buses get good response
The Barisal depot of the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation has started operating 10 new air-conditioned buses on four routes, with a good response from the people using the service.
At present, 40 vehicles of the depot are now carrying more than 3,000 passengers daily on 20 routes.
Passengers, meanwhile, have urged the authorities to operate more BRTC buses on different routes, especially on the Barisal-Dhaka routes.
Jamal Hossain, Barisal BRTC depot manager, said recently the prime minister received and inaugurated 87 Indian-made air-conditioned buses.
‘We placed a demand for 25 vehicles from that fleet to increase monthly net profit of Tk 2.1 million and annual net profit of Tk 25.2 million of our depot with those vehicles,’ he said.
However Barisal BRTC depot received 10 out new AC vehicles and of them 2 have been put on Barguna-Barisal-Dhaka, 2 on Kathalia-Barisal-Dhaka, 2 on Charfession-Barisal-Benapole and 4 on Barisal-Keorakandi routes and 2 on Khepupara-Barisal-Dhaka route since August 10, said Zulfikar Ali, assistant traffic officer of the Barisal BRTC depot.
The fare of BTRC air-conditioned vehicles has been fixed at Tk 2.50 per kilometer against Tk 1.70 of the non-AC buses, he said.
BRTC Barisal depot is connecting different stoppages on Jhalakati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Kuakata, Charfession, Mawa, Khulna, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Satkhira, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Benapole routes with the 10 AC and 39 non-AC buses.
Sushanta Ghose, a regular BRTC bus passenger on the Barisal-Kaorakandi route, has said BRTC buses are better for safe and comfortable journey.
‘But the Tk 250 one way fare of the AC buses against Tk 170 for non-AC buses on this route should be reduced as most of the time the air-conditioning system of the vehicles not remains off,’ he added.
Sahadat Hossain, another BRTC bus user, said BRTC operation should be expanded to all inter-district routes connecting Barisal, especially on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route, to free the passengers from the clutch of profit-monger, rude-mannered and rough driving private buses.
Zulfikar Ali, assistant traffic officer of the depot, said still the depot has an acute shortage of fit vehicles.
Three out of 49 vehicles allotted for this depot were declared abandoned three years ago and on average six out of the rest 46 vehicles regularly remain under repair and maintenance servicing.
Private operators are creating different types of pressure to create obstacle to the expanding BRTC service, he added.
BRTC Barisal depot sources said the depot started functioning with only two buses on Barisal-Goalanda route in 1973.
Gradually number of vehicles increased to 39 and number of routes to 18 within 2010.
The depot’s average monthly earning is 11 million taka and after deducting Tk 1 million for ferry fare and bridge tolls, Tk 5.5 million for fuel, Tk 1.8 million for official and staff salaries, 0.6 million for maintenance and repairs and the monthly net profit is Tk 2.1 million and annually net profit Tk 25.2 million, BRTC sources said.
-With New Age input
