Electric buses to run in Dhaka, costing Tk 2,500 crore

A plan has been made to introduce electric buses in the capital Dhaka. A project proposal costing Tk 2,500 crore has been sent to the Planning Ministry for this.

The proposal sent by the Road Transport and Highways Department states that 400 electric buses will be purchased in the project. There will be three depots and charging stations for these buses. The buses will run in Dhaka and Narayanganj. The proposal will be taken up in the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on May 19. Apart from this, various issues including the cost of the project may be discussed.

The urban transport launched through the Bus Route Rationalization Project in Dhaka has largely failed. This time, plans are being made to introduce these electric buses. Those concerned say that plans are being made to introduce electric buses to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in Dhaka and to renovate city buses.

Road Transport and Highways Department sources say that the cost of implementing the project to introduce electric buses has been estimated at Tk 2,500 crore. Of this, 2,135 crore taka will be taken as a loan from the World Bank and the Bangladesh government will provide the remaining 365 crore taka. The project implementation period has been set from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030. The project will be implemented by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).

Under this project, electric buses (e-buses) will be introduced under the company-based franchise model. The capacity of government and private organizations including DTCA will be increased to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka city, reduce carbon emissions by improving the quality of public transport services, and effectively operate the franchise-based transport system.

Project officials said that 400 electric buses will be purchased through this project. These buses, operated by operators, will ply in Dhaka and Narayanganj. Three charging depots will be constructed. Out of these, initially, a depot with a charging station will be located on 1.3 acres of DTCA land in Purbachal. The buses will be housed in this depot. Another depot will be in the Jhilmil area of ​​​​RAJUK. Another depot is planned to be set up in Kanchpur. Apart from this, BRTA has made several other proposals, including setting up a Vehicle Inspection Center (VIC) on their part.

The project proposal states that the project is proposed to solve the air pollution problem of Dhaka city by implementing air quality management and reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector. With the support of the World Bank, the project will work to improve the air quality of Dhaka by building institutional capacity for effective management, modernizing public transport by introducing high-quality electric buses, and promoting regional cooperation.

The proposal further states that the project includes technical assistance for policy formulation, infrastructure development for electric buses, intelligent transport systems, and institutional capacity building. The project will work to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector, in line with national priorities to prevent environmental pollution, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and global climate commitments, improve public health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable urban transport.

Project stakeholders say that if implemented, the project will help protect public health, prevent environmental pollution and improve air quality, bring discipline to public transport, expand public transport suitable for all, reduce traffic congestion, create new jobs, support GDP growth and social protection activities.

Three organizations will work to implement the ‘Bangladesh Clean Air (BCAP) Phase One’ project, funded by the World Bank. These include the Department of Environment, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and DTCA. BRTA will work to develop the bus sector, while DTCA, on its part, will introduce electric buses under the City Bus Reform Program and provide the necessary infrastructure and technical support, capacity building, legal reforms and policies for this.

After analyzing the project proposal of the Road Department, it has been found that a question arises as to who will pay for the operation of these electric buses after the project is completed. Whether the government will subsidize the operation of these buses after five years of the project has not yet been finalized. Apart from this, communication experts believe that the political context will also be a major factor in how successfully this project will be implemented.

Transport expert and professor of the Civil Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dr. Shamsul Haque told Ajker Patrika, “When new investments are made without understanding why urban transport is not happening, it will become a very bad example. Despite the examples of how bus services can run without investment, those who are thinking of investing will waste public money. The previous government also tried to solve the problem through investment. The interim government is also walking that path.