Drive to remove 20-year-old buses from roads ‘soon’, says BRTA chairman

Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed says the government is hoping for success in the endeavour by working alongside workers’ and owners’ associations

File photo

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Chairman Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed says that it is impossible to restore order to the roads when unfit vehicles are running and has vowed to take strict measures to remove buses that do not fit the criteria.

Speaking at an awareness raising programme for drivers and passengers on the occasion of July Martyrs' Day at Dhaka's Mohakhali Bus Terminal on Wednesday, the BRTA chief said that many lives have been lost on the roads for a long time.

This is why there is no alternative but to bar 20-year-old buses and trucks from the roads, he said.

"With [these vehicles] on the road, we will not be able to make them safe. That is why we are launching a simultaneous movement that includes everyone, including the owners and workers association. Then government cannot do this alone. For these reasons, we will remove unfit vehicles from the roads. We can’t do it in a single day, but we have at least started the work. I won’t say exactly when the campaign will start, but you will see very soon."

Asked whether the initiative to remove old buses would be opposed by owners’ associations, Abu Momtaz said: "You will be happy to learn that we have also included the leaders of the owner and worker associations in this programme."

The BRTA chairman distributed awareness leaflets among the drivers, workers and passengers of the Mohakhali Inter-District Bus Terminal.