No public transport can be operated in the capital without a ticket system. After Eid-ul-Fitr, all buses have to have a ticket system. The decision was taken at a meeting of the "Bus Route Rationalisation Committee" to bring discipline in public transport yesterday (Monday). Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sayeed Khokon said this at a briefing after the meeting at Nagar Bhaban. This was the ninth meeting of the committee.

Khokon told reporters that passengers will not be allowed to travel anywhere in the city without ticket. The system will end bus crisis and commuters’ misery. “Buses will have to stop at designated places. Passengers must buy ticket from the counter. No one will be able to travel without a ticket. No bus will pick up passengers without ticket. The authorities have been instructed to make the decision effective after Eid. All bus tickets will be available at the same spot. No bus will ply under contract and there would be no competition among bus drivers to race ahead,” he said.

“Field trips will be made to formulate a plan to set up ticket counters in coordination with government agencies, including the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, and Dhaka South and North city corporations,” he also said.

“A circular bus service has been started in the Dhanmondi area. Another decision was taken at the meeting to launch a circular bus service in the city’s Uttara area from May 27, followed by new services in Motijheel and Sadarghat areas,” he added. Khokon said circular bus services will ease traffic jams in these areas. On March 27, a circular bus service was started on the Dhanmondi-New Market-Azimpur route to bring down traffic jams in Dhanmondi and nearby areas.

Initially, the service is being run with some 20 air-conditioned BRTC buses. Passengers are being picked up and dropped at 36 points on a circular route. Last year, senior secretary Jafor Ahmed Khan formed the “Bus Route Rationalisation Committee” to ease traffic jams and to bring discipline in public transport.