BRTC to buy 300 electric double-deckers

Staff Reporter :
The government is procuring 300 electric double-decker air-conditioned buses for the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) from India.
These 300 electric-run double-decker AC buses will be procured for the BRTC under a line of credit deal, according to a press release on Sunday.
Initially, government has requested India to deliver 100 electric buses within this year for Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas.
The dialogue regarding this procurement occurred while Indian deputy high commissioner to Bangladesh, Binoy George, made a courtesy call on road transport and bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at his secretariat office in Dhaka on Sunday.
The road transport and bridges Minister said that, aiming to deplete carbon dioxide emissions, the government is working to enact electric motor vehicle registration and operation policy-2023.
The policy will be sent to the cabinet this month, as Obaidul Quader said.
Earlier, in 2013 BRTC completed procurement of 290 double-decker buses from Ashok Leyland under the first Indian Line of Credit (LoC).
The Second Indian Line of Credit (LoC) of Tk 2.39 billion was signed in 2018 to purchase another 300 double-decker buses.
It is alleged, BRTC have about 900 buses in its fleet. Among them, 40 per cent of the BRTC buses are unfit to operate due to lack of regular maintenance.