Dhaka Bus Routes to Be Cut From 98 to 32, With Six Routes Launching Formally Tomorrow

The government has taken an initiative to implement a bus route rationalisation programme to restore order to bus movement in the capital Dhaka, reduce traffic congestion and make the public transport system more passenger-friendly. Under the programme, the currently operating 98 bus routes will be rearranged into 32 integrated routes.

On Sunday (1 November), six of the 32 proposed routes will start their formal journey in the initial phase. The remaining routes are planned to be brought under this system in phases. Twenty buses per route have been proposed.

Related sources say unhealthy competition among multiple companies' buses on the same road, passengers boarding and alighting anywhere, excessive bus movement, failure to follow designated stoppages and passenger suffering have long been major problems in the capital's public transport system. Different bus companies in the same area competing to collect passengers on the same road increases disorder and congestion, while many areas do not have enough buses compared to need.

To change this situation, the bus route rearrangement initiative has been taken considering passenger demand, road capacity and the real situation of vehicle movement. The plan has been prepared under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) bus route rationalisation project.

Under the plan, operating buses through a single company on each designated route is being considered. Related officials hope this will reduce competition among companies to pick up passengers, restore order to bus movement and improve passenger service quality.

DTCA executive director Mohammad Mosiur Rahman said the bus route rationalisation programme has been taken to remove the disorder that has long existed in the capital's public transport system. There are currently 98 active bus routes in Dhaka, and the plan is to rearrange them into 32 integrated routes. He said the plan was prepared by analysing passengers' real demand, road capacity and vehicle movement data.

According to DTCA sources, the initiative to rearrange the capital's bus routes was first taken in 2011. At that time a plan was taken through the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB), but it could not be implemented. Later, from 2019, DTCA began preparing an updated plan by reviewing previous studies. Initially 42 routes were proposed. Subsequently, consensus on 32 routes was reached through discussions with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Dhaka North and South City Corporations, bus owners and workers' organisations.

Extensive data were collected to prepare this plan. On each of the 98 bus routes active from 2024 to 2026, a boarding-alighting survey was conducted by observing passengers on 18 trips per route, collecting data from more than 10,000 passengers. An origin-destination survey of more than 35,000 bus passengers was also conducted — analysing where passengers start their journey and where they go. In addition, vehicles were counted continuously for 72 hours at 72 important locations in Dhaka metropolis.

Photos were collected using drones, road infrastructure was reviewed and engineering drawings were prepared to assess the current state of about 400 kilometres of bus network. Using these data, a public transport model was created through software.

Project director of the Dhaka bus route rationalisation project Dhruba Alam said this plan is not a decision based on assumptions. Various surveys were conducted on the 98 active bus routes from 2024 to 2026. The goal is to ensure enough buses where passenger demand is high and to reduce repetition of unnecessary routes.

Under DTCA's plan, the proposed 32 routes are calculated to create travel opportunities for about 3.7 to 3.8 million passengers per day. This is about 8 percent of total person trips. On average about 70 percent of the proposed routes are consistent with some existing bus route. Multiple route connections have been planned centred on the Airport, Mirpur-10, Kuril, Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Farmgate, Badda and Jatrabari.

The six routes starting tomorrow are — from Gazipur's Shib bari Chowrasta to Azimpur's Dhakeshwari Temple via Abdullahpur; from Mirpur Zoo to Chulkutia via Science Lab; from Mohammadpur Basila's Ghatarchar to Demra Staff Quarter via Shahbagh Matsya Bhaban; from Mohammadpur Basila to Narayanganj's Chittagong Road Kanchpur Bridge via Science Lab Jigatala; from Mohammadpur Ghatarchar to Abdullahpur's Dhour Bridge via Mirpur-10; and from Tongi College Gate to Azimpur's Dhakeshwari Temple via Abdullahpur. Between 70 and 250 non-AC buses are planned on these routes. In addition, 20 AC buses have been proposed on the 22.89-kilometre route from Tongi College Gate to Azimpur. Three circular bus services are also planned for Farmgate-Polashi, Mohammadpur-centred and Uttara areas. The plan mentions several transport companies including Dhaka Chaka, Ramjan Ali Enterprise, Four Star Bus Line and PNP City Service.