Counter city bus service is going to be launched in the Chittagong city on Monday.
The announcement was made at a press conference Saturday morning at the Chittagong Press Club.
Chittagong District Transport Owners’ Association organised the press conference, with Abul Kalam Azad, secretary general of the association, in the chair.
The press conference was attended, among others, Golam Rasul Babul, general secretary of Chattala Transport Association, Nurul Alam Chowdhury, general secretary of the Chittagong City Bus Minibus Human Hauler Owners’ Association, Nazim Uddin, president of Kalurghat Bus Minibus Owners’ Association, Abu Tayyab of Chittagong City Bus Minibus Human Hauler Owners’ Association, Wahid Nur Kaderi, general secretary of the Kalurghat Bus Minibus Owners’ Association, and Abdul Malek, executive engineer of the Chittagong City Corporation.
Golam Rasul Babul, on behalf of the four transport organisations, read out a written speech at the programme.
The service would be launched on 12 routes of the city, he said, adding the city mayor, Mohammad Manjur Alam, was expected to open the service formally along with other officials of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
Azad informed that the service would run from 7:00am till 9:00pm and anyone trying to charge beyond the government-fixed fare would be brought to book, he warned.
He further requested all passengers to buy ticket from the counters before getting on the buses.
A total of 137 ticket counters would be set up and about 1,200 minibuses and human haulers would ply under counter service, he informed.
Abdul Malek said the mayor had given his consent that 15 buses of the city corporation would come under the new service.
Mentionable that the deadline for the launch of the counter service system in Chittagong city was missed four times in just two months.
The first deadline was June 5, the second June 25, the third July 5 and the fourth deadline was July 14.
Initiatives to introduce counter service in the city were also taken earlier in 2008.
But, due to unwillingness and lack of co-ordination among the transport owners’ associations, the counter service initiative fell through.
-With New Age input
