Buses stop anywhere, park everywhere
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to swiftly relocate Dhaka’s four inter-city bus terminals outside the capital as part of efforts to ease the city’s chronic traffic congestion and improve urban mobility.
The directive came at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister at the Secretariat on June 15 on measures to ease Dhaka’s traffic congestion and modernise the city’s traffic management system.
But relocating bus terminals alone may not resolve one of the capital’s most persistent traffic problems: buses stopping wherever passengers want to get off, pulling over wherever potential passengers are waiting and occupying roads as informal parking spaces.
Across Dhaka, buses routinely stop outside designated points, park on main roads and compete for passengers at busy intersections. Gulistan, Fulbaria, Banglabazar, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Mirpur and Uttara are among the areas where such practices are frequently seen.
At busy junctions, buses often stop in the middle of
the road when passengers signal to board or disembark.
Drivers also pull ahead of competing buses to pick up passengers, sometimes stopping diagonally across lanes. The result is often a long queue of vehicles behind a single bus.
What appears to be a minor violation by one vehicle can quickly turn into a major bottleneck. When several buses stop at the same point, road capacity shrinks further, forcing other vehicles to change lanes, brake suddenly or wait. The congestion then spreads to surrounding roads.
Across Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, public transport operators appear to be competing not only for passengers but also in their willingness to disregard traffic rules.
The intense competition for passengers is one of the key factors behind random stoppages. Many drivers and helpers work under trip-based or daily-deposit arrangements, creating a financial incentive to pick up passengers wherever they are available.
Even a few additional passengers can increase the profitability of a trip. This encourages drivers to overtake competing buses, stop at intersections and block lanes to secure passengers.
The practice is particularly visible in the capital, where local buses frequently pick up and drop off passengers outside designated stops. Long-distance buses also occupy roads around terminals and ticket counters while waiting for passengers, further reducing available road space.
Illegal parking creates a similar problem. A bus left on part of a busy road for an extended period effectively reduces the number of usable lanes. In already crowded areas, that loss of road space can create bottlenecks that quickly spread.
Speaking to The New Nation, Golam Morshed, a manager of transport department at the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said, “Although the matter did not fall under my direct jurisdiction, I had previously taken the initiative to remove illegal bus counters from the shelters; however, they had returned and were indeed operating there illegally,”
He said that “the issue likely falls under the purview of the Traffic Management Department.”
What the law says
The Road Transport Act 2018 specifically addresses where vehicles may stop and park.
Under Section 47 of the law, the government or an authorised authority may determine parking areas, stopping places and the locations and times for passenger and goods loading and unloading in consultation with the traffic-control authority.
Parking outside designated areas and stopping vehicles to pick up or drop off passengers outside designated places and times are prohibited.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s road-safety guidance also instructs bus drivers not to stop randomly to pick up or drop off passengers. Vehicles are advised not to stop at intersections or obstruct traffic by parking on roads and are instructed to stop close to the left side of the road.
Violations of the relevant provisions can result in a fine of up to Tk 5,000 under Section 90 of the law, along with the deduction of one demerit point from a driver’s record.
Yet the legal restrictions have done little to stop the practice from becoming a routine feature of Dhaka’s roads.
At Gulistan, Fulbaria and Banglabazar, buses reportedly occupy both sides of stretches of road near ticket counters. In Sayedabad and Jatrabari, long-distance buses and minibuses frequently stop and park around the flyover and near the entrance to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
Similar congestion is seen outside Gabtoli Bus Terminal and around Mazar Road. Roads beside Mohakhali Bus Terminal and the Mohakhali-Gulshan link road are also frequently used by buses waiting for passengers.
The problem, however, is not confined to terminal areas.
Farmgate and Karwan Bazar intersections regularly see buses forming lines and picking up passengers in the middle of the road. At Mouchak and Malibagh, buses occupy narrow stretches beneath the flyover and around the market.
At Azimpur and Nilkhet, inadequate bus bays encourage local buses to stop near intersections, at times bringing traffic to a standstill.
Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-11 are also known for prolonged bus stops. In Uttara, local and long-distance buses frequently stop along the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway near Housing Building and Abdullahpur to collect passengers.
Around Kamalapur Railway Station, buses and CNG-run vehicles further reduce road space through indiscriminate parking.
The shortage of adequate terminal space is another factor behind the problem.
The three major bus terminals in Dhaka reportedly have capacity for only around 800 buses, while more than 9,000 vehicles operate through or around them. As a result, buses frequently spill onto surrounding roads, effectively turning public streets into informal waiting and parking areas.
This puts additional pressure on an already overstretched road network.
Around 230 new vehicles reportedly join Dhaka’s roads every day, while the city’s main roads remain far below the level considered necessary to accommodate its traffic volume.
The human cost of random bus stoppages is visible every day.
A bus stopping for even a minute at a busy junction can force dozens of vehicles behind it to brake, change lanes or remain stationary. When several buses compete for passengers at the same location, the disruption can continue for considerably longer.
For commuters, what begins as one driver’s attempt to pick up a few additional passengers can translate into hours lost in traffic.
As the government moves to relocate intercity bus terminals and modernise Dhaka’s traffic management, the bigger challenge will be ensuring that buses actually use designated stops, remain within designated parking areas and follow assigned routes.
Without stronger enforcement and better incentives for transport operators to comply with the rules, moving terminals alone may simply shift the congestion from one part of the city to another.
