DHAKA : The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has called for an immediate end to the practice of leasing Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) buses to educational institutions, and other public and private organisations, arguing that it deprives ordinary commuters of affordable public transport services, reports UNB.

In a joint statement on Sunday, RSF Chairman Prof Dr AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Vice Chairmen Prof Hasina Begum, Dr Kamran ul Baset and Abdullah Md Ferdous Khan, and Executive Director Sayedur Rahman said BRTC is a state-owned transport service established with taxpayers’ money to serve the public.

They alleged that instead of providing the expected level of transport services to the general public, BRTC has long been leasing a large number of passenger buses to educational institutions as well as government, private and autonomous organisations.

According to the statement, leased buses typically transport students or staff to their destinations in the morning and return them in the afternoon, remaining unused for most of the day, while thousands of commuters in the capital endure overcrowded and poorly maintained private buses.

The foundation questioned the legal basis of leasing publicly owned buses and urged authorities to review whether such arrangements comply with the intended purpose of BRTC’s operations.

It alleged that some dishonest officials and employees within BRTC have deliberately reduced passenger services, leased out buses and rendered many vehicles inoperative before the end of their economic lifespan, eventually disposing of them as scrap, in the interest of private bus owners.

The RSF also raised concerns over the whereabouts of a large number of Volvo articulated and air-conditioned buses purchased at significant public expense, claiming that many of these vehicles have disappeared from city roads despite not reaching the end of their service life.

It said had the government been able to develop adequate transport capacity through BRTC, private bus owners would not have been able to resort to fare irregularities and disorder on the roads. “Dishonest officials and employees of BRTC assist private bus operators in perpetuating this chaos. As a result, BRTC has failed to provide the level of transport service expected by the public.”

The organisation noted that BRTC passenger services on various routes in the capital had remained suspended since the Eid holidays until Saturday, causing significant financial and physical hardship for low- and middle-income commuters.

Demanding greater accountability, it called for the cancellation of the bus leasing system and urged the government to form an independent investigation committee comprising judges, economists and public transport experts.

The committee should investigate the number of buses purchased by BRTC, the number currently in operation, the number officially retired and dumped after reaching the end of their service life, and the actual causes of the corporation’s financial losses, the statement said.

The foundation also sought appropriate punishment for those responsible for any irregularities and appealed to the Prime Minister to take effective measures to ensure transparency and accountability within BRTC.