The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will procure 300 double-decker buses from India under the neighbouring country’s second Line of Credit (LoC). Indian heavy vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland Limited will supply the double-decker buses at a cost of Tk. 239.06 crore to ease transport problems faced by Dhaka’s residents, said sources in the Road Transport and Bridges Division. The Road Transport and Bridges Division has prepared a proposal to purchase the buses, and it is likely to be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Purchases soon, the sources added. In the proposal, the secretary of the division said India’s Exim Bank has agreed to fund the project under the LoC and that is why the buses would be bought soon. “The Tender Evaluation Committee (TUC) of the BRTC has recommended giving a notification of award (NOA) to buy the double-decker buses,” the proposal said.

“Of the total amount of Tk. 239.06 crore, the Bangladesh government will provide Tk. 45.63 crore and the rest will be provided by the Indian LoC,” the proposal added.

The BRTC was set up as a government corporate transport body to provide modern mass communication service to people across the country. The BRTC is currently operating three international bus services (Dhaka to Kolkata, Agartala and Siliguri in India). In Bangladesh, it operates inter-district bus services through its depots in Chittagong, Bogra, Comilla, Pabna, Rangpur, Barisal and Sylhet. There is a total of 973 buses, including 109 Ashok Leyland double-decker buses, in the country.