Women-friendly ‘Pink’ bus service launched in haste without a plan: No response from women even after a month

Staff Correspondent 

Even after a month of its launch, the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation’s (BRTC) pink bus service, a special bus service for women, is struggling to attract passengers. Due to the shortage of passengers, the company is losing an average of Tk 50,000 to Tk 60,000 per day while operating the service.

This bus, designated for women only, is operating on 10 routes in the capital. However, as each route only runs two trips a day, many women are unable to use this service. Due to the limited routes and schedules, working and student women are unable to rely on the bus for regular travel.

Earlier, initiatives were taken to introduce separate bus services for women. But those initiatives were not successful and had to be stopped at some point. Those concerned fear the same fate for this initiative as well.

According to transport experts, the service was launched in a hurry without adequate planning. They believe that there was a lack of proper research to determine passenger demand, actual travel trends, and convenient routes. As a result, the initiative is not meeting the expectations of women.

Passengers say that to make the service effective, it is necessary to increase the number of trips. They also demand that more areas be covered by the route and a live tracking system be introduced to know the location of the bus. According to them, it will be easier to travel on time if you know in advance when the bus will arrive.

According to experts, the pink bus service may fail like previous initiatives if routes and schedules are not rearranged after assessing demand and adding passenger-friendly facilities.