Waterbus service makes its comeback
Md Atiqur Rahman Bangladesh
'The fare of the waterbus service is not much when compared to the price hike of oil'
Four new waterbuses were aunched on the capitals circular route on Thursday
After missing three deadlines, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation resumed its waterbus service on the capital circular river route on Thursday with a view to giving city dwellers relief from intolerable traffic congestion.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan formally inaugurated the resumption of the service on the Sadarghat-Gabtali route at the Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station.
Dr Shamsuddoha Khandaker, chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and Syed Monjurul Islam, secretary of Ministry of Shipping were present as special guests. Mujibur Rahman, chairman of the BIWTC, was also present.
While inaugurating the service, the shipping minister said: We are planning to launch an express waterbus service in future to give better service to the commuters.
About the fare he said: The fare of the waterbus service is not much when compared to the price hike of oil.
Each bus has an 83-passenger carrying capacity and the vessel will travel from 8am to 6:30pm every day after a pause of 45 minutes, BIWTA sources said.
There are three stoppages at Bosila, Kholamura and Swarighat on the Badamtoli-Sadarghat route. The fare from Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station to Bosila, Kholamura and Swarighat and Badamtoli/Sadarghat are fixed at Tk25, Tk30, Tk35 and Tk40 respectively.
A passenger told Dhaka Tribune that he had been using the water bus service since its experimental resumption on June 12 on the Sadarghat-Sinnirtek route.
Anis, a security guard of the Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station says, A lot of people flocked this morning to see and use the service. The BIWTC now owns six waterbuses. Of them, four buses have been recently added to the fleet which already had two buses ML Turag and ML Buriganga.
BIWTC authority said a 29km circular river route of the capital would be used for waterbus service in the future.
The planned 29-kilometre circular river route for the waterbus service is Sadarghat-Gabtoli-Aminbazar-Ashulia-Tongi-Purbachal-Demra-Kanchpur-Mir-Kadeem-Fatulla to the embankment area of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakshya rivers.
Earlier, the BIWTA started its waterbus service in August 2010 with a hope to lessen the incessant traffic congestion faced by city people.
The waterbus service was first introduced in 2004 with one water taxi on the Sadarghat-Aminbazar route.
Later, it was re-launched in August 2010 with two waterbuses on the Sadarghat-Swarighat-Kholamura-Gabtoli routes.
However, 11 months after its re-launch, the BIWTC stopped the service once again due to lack of navigability.
Waterbus service makes its comeback | Dhaka Tribune
Md Atiqur Rahman Bangladesh
'The fare of the waterbus service is not much when compared to the price hike of oil'
Four new waterbuses were aunched on the capitals circular route on Thursday
After missing three deadlines, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation resumed its waterbus service on the capital circular river route on Thursday with a view to giving city dwellers relief from intolerable traffic congestion.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan formally inaugurated the resumption of the service on the Sadarghat-Gabtali route at the Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station.
Dr Shamsuddoha Khandaker, chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and Syed Monjurul Islam, secretary of Ministry of Shipping were present as special guests. Mujibur Rahman, chairman of the BIWTC, was also present.
While inaugurating the service, the shipping minister said: We are planning to launch an express waterbus service in future to give better service to the commuters.
About the fare he said: The fare of the waterbus service is not much when compared to the price hike of oil.
Each bus has an 83-passenger carrying capacity and the vessel will travel from 8am to 6:30pm every day after a pause of 45 minutes, BIWTA sources said.
There are three stoppages at Bosila, Kholamura and Swarighat on the Badamtoli-Sadarghat route. The fare from Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station to Bosila, Kholamura and Swarighat and Badamtoli/Sadarghat are fixed at Tk25, Tk30, Tk35 and Tk40 respectively.
A passenger told Dhaka Tribune that he had been using the water bus service since its experimental resumption on June 12 on the Sadarghat-Sinnirtek route.
Anis, a security guard of the Gabtali Waterbus Landing Station says, A lot of people flocked this morning to see and use the service. The BIWTC now owns six waterbuses. Of them, four buses have been recently added to the fleet which already had two buses ML Turag and ML Buriganga.
BIWTC authority said a 29km circular river route of the capital would be used for waterbus service in the future.
The planned 29-kilometre circular river route for the waterbus service is Sadarghat-Gabtoli-Aminbazar-Ashulia-Tongi-Purbachal-Demra-Kanchpur-Mir-Kadeem-Fatulla to the embankment area of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakshya rivers.
Earlier, the BIWTA started its waterbus service in August 2010 with a hope to lessen the incessant traffic congestion faced by city people.
The waterbus service was first introduced in 2004 with one water taxi on the Sadarghat-Aminbazar route.
Later, it was re-launched in August 2010 with two waterbuses on the Sadarghat-Swarighat-Kholamura-Gabtoli routes.
However, 11 months after its re-launch, the BIWTC stopped the service once again due to lack of navigability.
Waterbus service makes its comeback | Dhaka Tribune
