I don’t support making money by keeping mismanagement

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Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association is a major organization of Dhaka transport sector owners. The general secretary of this association is Saiful Alam. He is also the Secretary General of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, an organization of transport sector owners across the country. After the fall of the Awami League government, Saiful Alam became an important leader in this sector. Anwar Hossain spoke to him about the chaos in Dhaka’s transport sector.

The control of the transport sector is back in the hands of you, the BNP supporters. Has there been any change in this sector, or only the political side has changed?

Saiful Alam: We have not seen such changes yet. But we have researched, taken initiatives accordingly, are trying and will continue to do so. The transport sector involves management, roads and government. Government includes administration and police. Apart from this, there are transport owners and workers. There should be a discipline and rules among all. It was dismantled in the last 15 years.

Let me give an example. The rule is that the bus owner will do the business with the risk of profit and loss. Drivers will get regular salary. Daily, monthly or weekly. The reality here is that the owner has given the vehicle under contract to the driver. That is, the driver comes at the end of the day and gives a certain amount of money to the owner. His aim is to earn after withdrawing the deposit. As a result, the driver and the helper-conductor are not obeying any law. It shouldn’t have happened. Drivers should be brought under regular salary. It must be ensured that they run the bus in an orderly manner.

Do you have any attempt to change this system, or are you fulfilling your responsibility by speaking?

Saiful Alam: We have informed the Ministry of Roads about what to do. There have been several meetings with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the owners-labour leaders. One solution is the bus route franchise system. There are three to five bus companies plying each route in Dhaka. Five company buses are plying down the road at the same time. If brought under one company, one serial after another can continue. The vehicle should have auto doors (automatic doors) and all doors should be of the same colour. Whether the fitness is up-to-date or not, or whether the passenger seats are properly positioned or not, all can be seen.

Expired and unfit buses are still plying in Dhaka. Who is responsible? Lakkarjhakkar bus will continue to move on the road?

Saiful Alam: The government has banned buses older than 20 years and trucks older than 25 years. Our poor country. Rather than age, it should be seen whether it is fit or not. Many times even a five year old bus will look outdated. Due to lack of discipline, the external condition of the buses has deteriorated while plying. Despite its age, the car looks outdated due to mismanagement and lack of maintenance.

Passenger comfort is lost by seating more than the allotted seats in the bus. From time to time charging additional fare in the name of sitting service. Is it a deliberate irregularity of the owners?

Saiful Alam: These are mismanagement. I said that the owner gives his bus to the driver under the contract. But the owner is supposed to look after himself properly. I don’t support that he just wants to earn two paise by keeping this mismanagement. There should be correct number of seats. According to the law, 10 to 15 people can be stationed in the city if necessary. The buses have to be displayed on the new route permits we issue through RTC (Regional Transport Committee). We are checking whether the number of seats is correct as per the permit. Car seat rexin is also being checked. This is being done so that after a few days the police will go on a raid.

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Saiful Alam: There is something about black smoke. A raid by the government found that abandoned Mobil chemicals had been marketed over quota. Homeowners are buying them as new. It is spewing black smoke on one side. On the other hand, the bus engine is being damaged. The government should be more active in this regard. Sometimes fuel also causes black wash. Because, we also have questions about the quality of fuel. Many times due to the negligence of the transporter, buses are not maintained on time. Uses low quality spare parts. These also cause black smoke. Apart from this, there are old vehicles.

There are allegations of toll collection from buses. Who takes this money? What is the closing method?

Saiful Alam: Crisis or running a company has some fair expenses. They have to be borne by the transporters. Like, office management, employee payroll, ticket printing and many more. There are many large companies in the country, which are owned by a single person or organization. There is no problem with them. They exclude expenses and take home income.

On the other hand, multi-passenger buses run under the name of a company. In this case, the owner contracts with the entrepreneurs of the company and supplies the bus. At the end of the day, the owner takes the income according to the agreement. But company expenses such as office, employee expenses, room rent, entertainment, accidents have to be incurred. Apart from this there is garage rent. For this, the entrepreneurs of the company deduct a part from the daily income of the bus owner as GP or Gatepass. But there should be a limit to this cost. It didn’t matter how much it costs and how much it takes. I said with responsibility you can’t take GP as you want. The bus owner must have a written agreement with the company. There should be an audit of how much money was raised and how much was spent.

Another form of extortion is at the level of city corporations and municipalities. In the name of terminal toll, they collect from the transport owners. Local influencers and politicians lease the terminal. One determines the subscription. Takes twice that or more. However, there is no parking space at the terminal. The shops are full. Toilets or other facilities are not available.

Apart from this, subscriptions are collected in the name of individuals, sometimes in the name of influential people in the area, sometimes in the name of illegal workers’ committees in different names all over the country. I have written about them. From where the bus departs, a certain amount of subscription can be collected for the management of the association. No one can withdraw money in the middle.

What specific steps do you want the new government to take to bring order to the transport sector?

Saiful Alam: I will request the government to implement bus route franchise through us. Government is subsidizing metro rail. For this reason, metro rail travel is comfortable and orderly. Policy support can be provided by subsidizing the bus sector. The government can reduce the import duty of new buses. Now we can bring electric cars.

Saiful Alam: The government has bought buses worth hundreds of crores of rupees to the public transport company BRTC. So far they have neither been able to serve, nor have they been profitable. Private sector owners are providing services as much as possible without government assistance. Government support will change the face of this sector.